Tag: Germany

DEG International Re-Launches ‘Mega Movie Week’ Discount Sales Campaign in Germany

The Digital Entertainment Group International Feb. 13 announced the return of the “Mega Movie Week” marketing campaign in Germany. The promotion through Feb. 19 aims to drive the digital retail growth of more than 200 local and Hollywood movies at discounted prices.

U.S. movies include Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s Ticket to Paradise, Walt Disney Studio’s Amsterdam, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, Paramount Home Entertainment’s Smile and Studiocanal’s Orphan: First Kill, among others.

Participating digital platforms include Prime Video, Apple TV App, CHILI, Freenet Video, Maxdome, Microsoft Movies & TV, Rakuten TV, Sky Store, Videociety and Videoload.

The campaign is co-sponsored by The Federal Association for Audiovisual Media (Der Bundesverband für Audiovisuelle Medien e.V. / BVV), and The Society for the Promotion of Audiovisual Media (Die Gesellschaft zur Förderung audiovisueller Medien mbH / FAM), among others.

The campaign is being marketed across YouTube, Google, Meta and TikTok, among other social media platforms.

“We know from our experience in Germany in 2021, where we saw a week on week volume uplift of 440%, as well as the other international markets where DEGI runs successful campaigns, that these initiatives deliver genuine category growth,” Liz Bales, CEO of DEGI, said in a statement.

Paramount+ Launches in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Paramount Global Dec. 8 announced the launch of its branded Paramount+ subscription streaming video service in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The launches follow the French debut on Dec. 1, and bring the Paramount brand’s global footprint to 45 markets.

Paramount rolled out the service at a celebrity event at the UCI Luxe in Berlin featuring a first look at some of the studio’s premium content, including “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” “Yellowstone” prequel “1883,” German originals “The Sheik,” “Germany Shore,” “Spotlight,” and “Simon Beckett’s Chemistry of Death,” based upon the best-selling crime novels. Paramount also announced that the second season of “Yellowjackets” would debut in March. Paramount+ launches Top Gun: Maverick on Dec. 22.

“There is no doubt 2022 has been the year of global expansion for Paramount+,” Marco Nobili, EVP and International GM of Paramount+, said in a statement. “We are now streaming in key markets in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia and soon in India.”

Paramount+ ended the most-recent fiscal period with 67 million paid subscribers.

Roku Launches Branded TVs in Germany

Roku announced the arrival of branded Roku televisions in Germany, with Metz blue and China’s TCL as the first partners to launch the branded internet-connected models. The launch follows Roku’s entry into the market last year with its streaming players. From October, consumers will be able to purchase a Roku TV model from Metz blue or TCL, in sizes varying between 32 and 65 inches in HD, 4K and 4K QLED.

“People transition more of their entertainment time to streaming, while continuing to watch a significant amount of broadcast TV, so [the] launch offer[s] a great experience for both,” Arthur van Rest, VP international at Roku, said in a statement.

Metz blue or TCL consumers get access to the Roku Channel Store, which offers free and paid streaming channels. Roku TV models work with the Roku mobile app, which can be used as a remote control, for voice search and control, and for private listening. Roku TV models are compatible with various voice assistants, including Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. To share media from a mobile device to a Roku TV, consumers can use the app or mirror their screen using Airplay 2 or Miracast.

Ampere: Amazon Prime Video Widens Sub Lead Over Netflix in Germany

Thanks to its increased e-commerce presence, Amazon Prime Video reportedly expanded its German subscriber lead over rival Netflix in 2021. Research firm Ampere Analysis says Prime Video added 1.4 million subs to top 12.6 million, while Netflix added just 300,000 subs to reach 9.6 million.

Amazon is projected to reach 13.8 million paid German subs this year, while Netflix will reach 10 million. The country, along with Austria, represents Amazon’s lone subscriber leads over Netflix in Europe.

Netflix ended 2021 with more than 74 million paid subs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), up from 67 million at the end of 2020.

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Ampere contends Amazon is expanding its sub lead over Netflix due to ecommerce and acquiring rights to select Champions League soccer. Netflix, by comparison, continues to shun live sports streaming, focusing instead on movies and TV shows.

In a report, Ampere analyst Jaanika Juntson contends Prime Video offers more German-language content than Netflix.

The two services major German SVOD competitor, RTL+, ended 2021 with 2.4 million paid subs and upwards of 7 million monthly active users. The platform reportedly is partnering with media giant Gruner + Jahr this year.

By 2024, the German streaming video market will reach €6.5 billion ($7.3 billion) in revenue, representing an average annual growth rate of 13%, according to data from research group Goldmedia.

Imax Debuts Biggest Widescreen in the World

Imax has opened its largest theatrical projection screen in the world. Covering the 574-seat Traumpalast (“Dream Palace”) auditorium in Leonberg, Germany, the screen is 69 feet high, 125 feet wide and weighs more than 500 pounds, equipped with Imax’s 12-channel sound technology. It was manufactured in Joliette, Canada, by American-based Strong/MDI Screen Systems.

“The Imax at Traumpalast is a tremendous achievement and will provide audiences with an immersive viewing experience on the world’s most incredible scale,” Mark Welton, president of Imax Theatres, said in a statement. “We’re grateful for Strong/MDI’s partnership as we unveil this record-breaking screen.”

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Lochmann Filmtheaterbetriebe operates eight Imax Traumpalast screens across Germany.

The opening comes ahead of MGM’s much-delayed No Time to Die, the last James Bond movie featuring Daniel Craig in the title role. The movie bowed Sept. 30 in Germany and the U.K., among other regions. It bows Oct. 8 in the United States.

The movie’s director Cary Fukunaga reportedly used Imax’s 15/70mm cameras, enabling No Time to Die to be the first Bond film to include 40 minutes of Imax exclusive expanded aspect ratio, or the ratio between the width and height of the screen.

Roku Bows Streaming Media Devices in Germany

Germany has a new government … and Roku streaming video consumer technology. The day after Germans narrowly elected a new political party to replace longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, Roku launched its line-up of streaming devices, including the Roku Express, Roku Express 4K, Roku Streaming Stick 4K and Roku Streambar.

The Express, Express 4K and Streambar are available starting tomorrow (Sept. 28) from MediaMarkt, Saturn, Amazon, Expert, Euronics and Otto.de. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K will be available from the same retail partners in October.

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At launch consumers will be able to watch entertainment from a wide selection of local and global services, including:

  • Movies & TV: ARD Mediathek, ZDF, Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Apple TV, STARZPLAY, Sky Ticket, TVNOW (soon RTL+), KiKA, Netzkino, ProSieben, Sat.1, Kabel Eins, Pluto TV, Rakuten TV, watch4.com and more.
  • News: Tagesschau, Bild TV, TRT World, Deutsche Welle, Bloomberg and more.
  • Sports: Sky Ticket, TVNOW (soon RTL+), DAZN, Motorvision.TV, SPORTTOTAL, The Tennis Channel etc.
  • Music: Spotify, VEVO, Berliner Philharmoniker and more.

 

Notably missing from the presser: The Roku Channel.

“We are excited to launch our award-winning streaming players and platform in Germany, with a great selection of entertainment to watch for German consumers,” Bart Bomers, VP EMEA at Roku, said in a statement.

New data from Digital TV Research projects that Germany will surpass U.K. in SVOD subscriptions in 2026, with 52 million to 51 million subs.

Roku, together with Netflix, co-launched the subscription streaming video market in 2008. Based in Los Gatos, Calif., Roku leads the streaming device market, along with Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Google Chromecast. The company’s success recently spurred Comcast to launch its own line of Xfinity-branded streaming devices.

Digital Entertainment Group International Bows First ‘Mega Movie Week’ Promotion in Germany

The Digital Entertainment Group International, the global arm of the DEG focused on the home entertainment sector, May 13 helped to launch Germany’s first ever “Mega Movie Week” in partnership with The Federal Association for Audiovisual Media (Der Bundesverband für Audiovisuelle Medien e.V./BVV) and the Society for the Promotion of Audiovisual Media (Die Gesellschaft zur Förderung audiovisueller Medien mbH/FAM).

Through May, 16 distributors are offering a selection of current movies at reduced prices across 11 digital platforms.

With “Mega Movie Week” Germany, the DEGI is evolving the model and creative of the popular “Mega Movie Week U.K.” and Nordics campaigns of the last few years. The campaign aims to drive awareness, engagement and transaction by educating new consumers on the benefits of the electronic sellthrough format and encouraging trial and participation in the category.

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“Mega Movie Week” is available to German consumers on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Chili, Maxdome Store, Microsoft, PlayStation, Rakuten TV, Sky Store, Videobuster, Videociety and Videoload.

More than 200 titles include German favorites After Truth to German-language movies Es ist zu Deinem Besten or Gott, Du Kannst ein Arsch Sein! to Disney/Pixar’s Soul and Warner Bros.’ 1917 and Tenet.

Distributors taking part in “Mega Movie Week” include Constantin Film, DCM Film Distribution, Edel Motion, Koch Films, LEONINE Studios, Lighthouse Home Entertainment, Neue Visionen Medien, Paramount Home Entertainment, Splendid Film, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Germany, Studiocanal, Tiberius Film, Tobis Film, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, The Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Netflix Filming German Adaptation of War Novel ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’

Netflix through the end of May is finishing principal photography on a German adaptation of World War I drama All Quiet on the Western Front near Prague in the Czech Republic.

The film is based on the 1928 novel by journalist Erich Maria Remarque, whose pacifist text and critical look at World War I was unwelcome in early 1930s Germany. Consequently, the literary text as well as the Oscar-winning 1930 Hollywood film adaptation fell victim to Nazi censorship, forcing Remarque into Swiss exile.

Since March, filming on the first German film adaptation of the book has been in full swing near Prague. Director Edward Berger has gathered an ensemble cast of actors from Vienna’s Burgtheater in Austria, in addition to Daniel Brühl, Devid Striesow and Andreas Döhler, among others.

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“This German world bestseller is able to convey the inhuman terror of war perhaps more impressively than any other literary work,” Berger said in a statement. “For me, creating its first German film adaptation is one of the most exciting challenges of all.”

All Quiet on the Western Front is expected to debut in the second half of 2022.

Pluto TV Adds 24 Channels in German-Speaking Countries

ViacomCBS’s ad-supported VOD platform, Pluto TV, has added 24 content channels for distribution in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Acquired last year for $340 million, Pluto TV with 75 channels represents ViacomCBS’s aggressively global drive for AVOD distribution competing against Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.

Channel additions include “Pop-Up” channels featuring iconic brands such as “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “iCarly,” “Blue’s Clues,” “Victorious,” “Bubble Guppies” and “Sam & Cat,” among others. In addition, MTV channels “Dating,” “The Hills” and “Totally Turtles” are now available in English language for German viewers.

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“Within the last four months alone, we have been able to increase our channel offering by a third of the entire portfolio,” Olivier Jollet, managing director of Europe, said in a statement. “This a major step in pushing Pluto TV to the next level.”

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ViacomCBS, Sky Ink Content Distribution Deal for Germany, Switzerland, Austria

ViacomCBS Networks International and Comcast-owned Sky have signed a distribution deal for select content offered in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Under terms of the deal, Sky’s satellite customers in the countries now have access to Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and Nick Toons.

“With robust collaborations already in place in the UK and Italy, we truly value our partnership with Sky and are excited to be able to deliver premium kids’ content, both linear and on-demand, to more families in these regions,” Raffaele Annecchino, president, ViacomCBS Networks EMEA and Asia, said in a statement.

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Manuel Kindervater, VP Partner Channels/Strategy at Sky Germany, said the Nickelodeon brand, “perfectly expand” the Sky family portfolio.

“We are pleased that families will be able to enjoy the diverse programs of Nick Jr and Nick Toons with Sky and Sky Ticket from April; anytime linear or on-demand,” Kindervater said.

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