ZDF Studios reports more than 40 deals as MIPCOM Cannes runs with first AI forum
ZDF Studios says it has licensed more than 500 hours of German scripted content in over 20 countries so far this year as MIPCOM Cannes runs with its first AI Entertainment Forum.
ZDF Studios, the commercial subsidiary of German broadcaster ZDF, announced at MIPCOM Cannes on 13 October 2026 that it has concluded more than 40 agreements across over 20 countries so far this year. The agreements cover more than 500 hours of German scripted programming, according to the company's press release.
The market runs from 12 to 15 October 2026 and includes the first MIP AI Entertainment Forum, a conference and marketplace that connects AI innovators with studios, streamers and IP owners. As of 13 October, the market is still under way.
What ZDF Studios says it has sold
The 40-plus agreements are a running total for 2026, not a count of contracts signed in Cannes. ZDF Studios' release presents them as results to date in 2026. Dated 13 October, it calls that day the first day of MIPCOM, though MIPCOM runs 12 to 15 October 2026. The same release is the main source for the individual deals.
The crime franchise SOKO has been sold to 12 broadcasters, including YLE in Finland, Walter Presents in the UK, RTL Croatia, Talpa in the Netherlands and Canal+ MOE. Mountain Medic and Alpine Rescue secured deals with broadcasters such as TV2 Denmark, Prima TV in the Czech Republic, TVS in Poland and Pop TV in Slovenia, with new seasons and renewals.
Established romance brands Rosamunde Pilcher and Inga Lindström remained in demand among broadcasters including Mediaset in Italy, Nova TV in Bulgaria, Kanal 2 in Estonia and TV3 Baltics. RAI in Italy acquired a package of TV movies including titles from the A Summer In and Cruise into Cloud Nine brands, alongside a selection of stand-alone romantic dramas.
The vampire series Love Sucks has been licensed to a range of platforms and broadcasters, including Amazon, Apple, Telekom, RTL Interactive, Disney in Germany, Sky Switzerland, TV Prima in the Czech Republic, RTBF in Belgium and France Télévisions.
Library titles and platform frameworks
Named sales include long-running series, library titles and films, with new seasons for Mountain Medic and Alpine Rescue. The Black Forest Clinic continues to attract demand, and further German-speaking agreements were concluded with ORF, ORF III, SRF, Swiss One and Sky Switzerland.
ZDF Studios also described an electronic sell-through and transactional video-on-demand framework with Amazon covering 3,000 hours in Germany and Austria. The company says it has largely been extended to Switzerland, with more territories in preparation.
For the new slate, ZDF Studios is showing High Valley (Die falsche Tochter), produced by Studio Zentral and LOAD Studios, and Shifters (Die Düsteren), from Network Movie and Studio Zentral. The release did not name buyers for either series, and none of the pages read for this report did.
Tim Gerhartz, ZDF Studios' chief commercial officer, said international demand for German scripted content "remains very strong" and described a strategy of pairing proven returning series with younger-skewing new ones.
The first MIP AI Entertainment Forum
MIPCOM announced the forum in May as a conference and marketplace that connects AI innovators with studios, streamers, producers, creators, brands and IP owners. Its programme has three strands: generative tools for storytelling and new formats, AI in production, and monetising content libraries and archives for AI training.
The production strand lists metadata automation, dubbing, subtitling and localisation among its topics. The library strand includes discoverability and free ad-supported streaming (FAST) ecosystems, and managing rights intelligence.
MIPCOM Cannes director Lucy Smith said the aim was "not to theorise about it" but to build partnerships and strike deals, according to the announcement as reported by Señal News.
The sources differ on sponsorship. The May announcement named Versos AI as headline partner and Protege as official partner. A June MIPCOM release names Utopai Studios as headline partner and says its co-founder and CEO, Cecilia Shen, would give the opening-day keynote on 12 October. That release says the company is now valued at more than $1 billion. That is MIPCOM's statement, and this report has not independently checked it.
“The 40-plus agreements are a running total for 2026, not a count of contracts signed in Cannes.”
What happens next
MIPCOM Cannes continues through 15 October 2026. ZDF Studios has said more territories are in preparation for its Amazon framework, and its release names no buyers for its two new series.
The sources read for this report do not report the forum's outcomes. No signed deals from it had been confirmed in the sources read as of 13 October.
