Films roll on teutonic tube
Webs nix reality, gamers, yakkers and rediscover H'w'd
This month NBC Universal and Tele Munchen are launching free-TV movie channels in response to popular demand.
NBC U's Das Vierte (The Fourth) goes on air Sept. 29 with the tagline "We Are Hollywood." Web will showcase 50 years of Hollywood films and series, many from NBC Universal libraries.
Wolfram Winter, managing director of NBC Universal Global Networks Deutschland, says the web's creation is a reaction to the lack of feature films on German primetime.
Winter adds that a combination of factors came together to make the channel a reality, most significant the merger of NBC and Universal. "That was the catalyst," he adds. "It's organic growth."
Initially reaching 28.5 million households, web will air older films from NBC U such as Gregory Peck starrer "MacArthur" and Oliver Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July" as well as special events like Al Pacino Night and Alfred Hitchcock Day. The channel also will air popular series including "Magnum P.I.," "Quincy," "Ironside" and "Knight Rider" as well as DVD and film news programs.
Tele Munchen is giving its reality and gameshow-heavy Tele 5 channel a radical facelift, dumping its programming lineup for films and series from its 5,000-title library.
Launching Sept. 22, Tele 5's diverse lineup includes Wim Wenders' "Buena Vista Social Club," Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo," Jack Nicholson starrer "As Good as It Gets" and Mel Gibson starrer "The Road Warrior" as well as the free TV premiere of William Friedkin's "The Hunted."
"Film is the most beloved genre on TV," says Tele 5 managing director Jochen Kroehne. "Yet in recent years, reality, talk and other formats have reduced the number of films on primetime. Film fans have finally found a home on Tele 5."
Channel plans to air 1,000 films a year, with up to three pics a day in main timeslots.
Germany's big players also are returning to scripted skeins and movies, as interest in gamers and reality formats wanes.
Leading commercial web RTL Television recently bought a bundle of films and series from NBC Universal that includes high-profile pics like Peter Jackson's upcoming "King Kong," "Van Helsing," "Along Came Polly," "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason," "Love Actually" and skeins "House" and the new "Kojak."
In its fall lineup, RTL is airing such high-profile movies as "X-Men 2," "Master and Commander," "Die Another Day," "8 Mile," "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
Sister webs RTL 2 and Super RTL also have bolstered primetime skeds with more TV movies and series during primetime, including "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Deadzone" on RTL 2 and, on Super RTL, freshly dusted reruns of "Magnum P.I." and "Simon & Simon," which can also be caught on NBC U's Das Vierte.
Reality fare is scant on ProSiebenSat.1's channels this fall. The group's main web, Sat.1, has boosted inhouse scripted fare in the form of event movies like "Die Luftbruecke" (Airlift), about the U.S.-led rescue operation that saved West Berlin during the Soviet blockade of the city following World War II, and upcoming series like historical skein "Unter den Linden," set in 1905 Berlin, which premieres next year.
ProSieben, meanwhile, continues to focus on U.S. product and boasts upcoming titles such as "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," "Catch Me If You Can," "The Ring" and "Matrix Reloaded."
