Observed Signal · Jul 13, 2026 · Production Announcement · Source: DWDL · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
ZDF developing two new children's series
ZDF, partly in cooperation with the children's channel KiKA, has announced production of two new series for young audiences: the preschool live-action series "Unser Gartensommer - Neues aus Bärstadt" and a working-titled follow-up "ECHT school" aimed at older children and teens. Filming for the preschool series has begun around Berlin; it is an eight-part show produced by Studio.TV.Film GmbH and directed by Patrick Schlosser. "ECHT school" is a 16-episode comedy produced by Studio Zentral, currently shooting in Berlin until August 19. Both productions involve named writers, directors, cast and ZDF editors and will be shown on ZDF and (in future) KiKA.
New programming by a major public broadcaster is relevant for content and scheduling but has limited direct impact on the AdTech/MarTech ecosystem.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- ZDF announced production of two new children's series, partly in cooperation with KiKA.
- "Unser Gartensommer - Neues aus Bärstadt" is an eight-part live-action preschool series produced by Studio.TV.Film GmbH; filming has begun around Berlin and it is expected to air in the spring of the coming year.
- "ECHT school" (working title) is a 16-episode comedy aimed at audiences aged 12+ produced by Studio Zentral; filming is ongoing in Berlin and surroundings and continues until 19 August.
- Creative leads for "Unser Gartensommer" include director Patrick Schlosser and writer Helge May; cast includes Jonas Lauenstein, Victoire Laly, Wesley Agyei (Taio) and Éden Dragheim (Toni).
- "ECHT school" scripts are by Ozan Mermer, Mireya Heider de Jahnsen and Lena Tusche; directors are Teresa Fritzi Hoerl and Alina Graff; producers include Lasse Scharpen and Christine Hartmann; ZDF editors on the project are Catharina Martin, Sarah Touihrat and Jens Ripke-Desaules.
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