German public broadcaster ARD wants to set up a new Netflix-style online streaming portal after the project Germany’s Gold jointly planned with fellow public broadcaster ZDF was cancelled following concerns by federal cartel office Bundeskartellamt in September 2013.
In the 2014 outlook of its recently published annual report, WDR Mediagroup, the commercial subsidiary of ARD’s regional affiliate serving federal state North-Rhine Westphalia, announces the “creation of an alternative project to Germany’s Gold,” reports German industry publication Funkkorrespondenz.
Talks would be underway with production companies and ARD’s sales subsidiaries. The target would be to create and deploy an alternative to Germany’s Gold, both in legal and economic aspects, according to WDR Mediagroup.
Notably, ZDF and its commercial arm ZDF Enterprises are no longer listed as a partner, probably to avoid anti-trust problems from the outset.
Michael Loeb, managing director of WDR Mediagroup, didn’t want to firmly comment on the new venture when asked by the industry publication, but confirmed that possibilities regarding further rights exploitation opportunities have been evaluated since the cancellation of Germany’s Gold and that corresponding talks have been held with potential partners. He added that he hopes that he’ll be able to publish more solid information on the successor project later this year.
