german united distributors german united distributors is a subsidiary of ARD, the first state-owned broadcasting corporation in Germany. Founded in 1950, ARD today comprises nine independent regional radio and television broadcasting companies, which together form the most important network "Das Erste" (The First). In addition to "Das Erste", ARD with other partners operates the culture channels ARTE and 3sat, the news channel PHOENIX and the children?s channel KIKA. ARD?s regional members also operate their own TV and radio stations, called the "Die Dritten" (the Third Programs). WDR (Westdeutsche Rundfunk) and NDR (Norddeutsche Rundfunk), two of the leading members of the ARD family, came together in 1997 to establish german united distributors in cooperation with Studio Hamburg and Bavaria Film, two of the largest production studios in the country. The new subsidiary optimised the evaluation of the programme catalogues of the four companies and thus increased the presence of German TV programmes on the international market. german united distributors also represents the program catalogues of the ARD stations, HR (Hessischer Rundfunk) and Radio Bremen. On 1 January 2009, WDR mediagroup and SWR Media Services joined the shareholders in german united distributors. With the accession of SWR Media Services, the programs of SWR (Südwestrundfunk) were also added to the company's catalogue. Today, german united distributors comprises three sales branches, each specialising in a specific programme genre: Bavaria Media Television with its headquarters in Munich, Studio Hamburg Distribution & Marketing based in Hamburg and united docs in Cologne. All three branches sell the shareholders´ programmes on the world market, while at the same time representing many independent producers with an international background. With over 40 years of experience, Bavaria Media Television is active in two areas: worldwide distribution of TV programmes and international co-productions. Bavaria Media has established itself as a reliable partner for television channels and home entertainment companies all over the world. On the programme distribution side, Bavaria Media Television has over 20,000 hours of programme in its catalogue. Fiction in every imaginable genre, format and for every target group: from high-profile mini series ("Speer & Hitler") to long-running hits ("Storm of Love") and world-renowned classics ("Berlin Alexanderplatz"), virtually everything from wholesome family entertainment to cutting-edge drama. As a unit consisting of World Sales and International Co-production, Bavaria Media Television offers the best prerequisites for successfully creating and distributing fiction content in the international marketplace. On the co-production side, activities comprise searching for and developing subjects, securing national and international co-production partners, supervising the production and distributing the finished programme through our World Sales Department. WE MAKE TV AN EVENT! Since its founding in 2000, united docs has grown to become a key distributor for European TV documentaries. The Cologne division holds an extensive catalogue that grows by more than 200 programme hours each year. It includes high-quality feature and short documentaries, mini-series and long-running shows of all genres, from history to current affairs, from science to the arts and culture. The traditional focus of the programming distributed by united docs is on investigative documentaries (eg. "The Cartel", "The Kissinger File") mostly produced or commissioned by ARD and its studios throughout the world. HD productions take an increasing share of the history portfolio, such as the bestsellers "Rendezvous with Death" and "Stalingrad". Recently, science programmes have become an additional point of emphasis, with the clip archive "Science Shortlist" and formats like "Ah! I got it". Independent productions play an important role within united docs' portfolio like the festival successes "Losers and Winners" and "Bellaria". In addition to marketing finished films, united docs increasingly lends its support to the financing of factual projects by independent producers (eg. "Life behind the Wall", "The Cycle of Life") and guides them to the international TV and DVD market. The core businesses of Studio Hamburg Distribution & Marketing are the production, exploitation and distribution of audiovisual content for TV, DVD and digital media. As a Studio Hamburg Group member with more than 50 years of experience in representing the film and business industry, production and co-production are as much key activities as the global trading of rights and licences - from TV to Internet, from the big screen to the mobile phone display. Beside the group's own productions the catalogue also comprises exclusive programme stocks from various German TV stations and independent production companies. The primary focus is on marketing the TV and multimedia rights, both nationally and internationally, of programmes by the broadcasters WDR, Radio Bremen and NDR. These range from crime series ( "Scene of the Crime") to made-for-TV movies and event programmes ("The tragedy of the Pamir"), from family entertainment and children?s programmes, sport, pop and rock music formats ( "Beat Club", "Rockpalast") to wildlife productions of international reputation.