KiKA’s Sebastian Debertin

The head of fiction, acquisitions and co-productions talks about what’s guiding the channel’s current strategy.

When KiKA (Der Kinderkanal) launched in 1997, it had a very clear mission. While young viewers expected to be entertained by a channel entirely dedicated to them, management believed KiKA had a responsibility to quench children’s thirst for knowledge and weave important values like tolerance, friendship and conflict resolution into programming story lines, and reflect the diversity of the real world. Sebastian Debertin, who today is the head of fiction, acquisitions and co-productions, was on the team that established those goals for the channel and then looked for programming that would support that vision.

TV KIDS: What have been some of the most popular acquired shows on KiKA?
DEBERTIN: Cloudbabies is a wonderful program, with fantastic ratings. Also fantastic with overwhelming response and ratings are Poppy Cat, Doozers and the new Care Bears. For older kids, there’s Whatever from YLE in Finland. Whatever is an innovative and brave live-action miniseries. It is not only an action-packed adventure series, Whatever also deals with a lot of in-depth themes like growing up with foster parents, the dark side of success and the desire to be loved. The sophisticated meta-levels of that thrilling story are meeting our demand for high-quality programs for our audience [of kids aged] 9-plus. Furthermore, our 6- to 9-year-olds will love Studio 100/Flying Bark’s show Tashi, which [has been dubbed] for our German-speaking audience.

TV KIDS: From which countries do you acquire programming?
DEBERTIN: We buy from all territories, but our main suppliers are in Europe with Germany, France, Ireland and the U.K., plus North America (Canada and the U.S.) and Australia.

TV KIDS: What have been some recent co-produced or co-financed shows?
DEBERTIN: Co-production ranks very high with us. We are working with German producers as well as producers from France, Ireland, Canada, the U.S. and Australia.

For example, we are very happy to have co-produced the second season of the animated series Lily’s Driftwood Bay from Sixteen South in Belfast and Nelly & Nora from Geronimo Productions in Dublin. [There’s also] another season of the hit series Mouk from Millimages in Paris and Super Wings from CJ E&M in Seoul, as well as the second season of Annedroids from Sinking Ship in Toronto.

For 6- to 9-year-olds we co-produce Insectibles, an animated series from One Animation in Singapore with ZDF Enterprises and Discovery Kids. This series is taking place in a “micro” world full of “macro” fun, adventure and laughter. We are truly happy to be a co-producer for this remarkable program that surely will quickly conquer the hearts of our KiKA audience and audiences worldwide. We [co-produced] a second season of the smash-hit series Guess How Much I Love You with SLR Productions in Sydney. Splash Entertainment and KiKA [are working on] a third season, including some specials, of the preschool series Chloe’s Closet.

TV KIDS: What makes your channel different from others in the market?
DEBERTIN: We are offering a large variety of high-quality, target-group-oriented programs free of commercials, for children aged 3 to 13. Our philosophy is to provide information, education, counseling and entertainment, and, while doing so, take into account the young target group’s specific requirements. KiKA is children’s “first address” and their contact. It’s a mouth-piece for its viewers’ opinions, and a representative of their interests.

It is only logical for the children’s channel of ARD and ZDF to offer programming without commercials. KiKA imparts self-confidence rather than brand awareness, and advertises positive values rather than products. This creates a counterbalance to the consumerism that is presented as something ideal on commercial television.

Children are the most valuable assets of any society, and television continues to be the defining medium. Television programs cannot—and should not—bring children up, but they should make children think. KiKA promotes social, emotional and cognitive development, imparting a sense of values such as tolerance and friendship, and thus enhances media competency on the part of its young viewers.

KiKA never loses awareness of the fact that children live in a social reality that is constantly changing, which includes conflict. Children’s television is not television for an ideal world, and it is under an obligation to represent the reality of children’s lives. It has to introduce solutions for conflict management. KiKA does not ignore the problem of violence, but it dispenses with representations of violence as a means toward problem solution, or mere suspense enhancement.

The children’s channel of ARD and ZDF imparts knowledge and it provides up-to-date information for children every day. KiKA’s mission is to accompany children in their educational development. It thereby assumes a particular responsibility in society. Children’s television does not mean the continuation of school lessons. KiKA makes its contribution to getting children prepared for the challenges that the future holds.

Children’s requirements are many and diverse, depending on their stage of development. For that reason, KiKA uses almost all genres to meet those demands. Older children, for instance, love to have stories and information from their very own world, in the form of documentary soaps, crime thrillers, magazines and news programs. Things are somewhat different when it comes to [younger kids]. Whoever produces programs for the youngest demographic will need educational competence first [and foremost]. KiKA can offer all renowned formats under public law for preschool children, from real-life to animated, or DIY magazines to interactive series promoting linguistic competence. And there will never be any “stripping” on KiKA of select series spread over an entire broadcasting day.