The high volume of sales recorded by ZDF Enterprises at the MIPCOM Television trade fair in Cannes, which has just drawn to a close, surpassed even the optimistic expectations of the company's management, according to Alexander Coridass, President and CEO of ZDF Enterprises.

"We had set ourselves very high goals, not least because of the huge international success of our flagship program at Cannes, the series for children and teenagers 'H2O- Just Add Water', yet our targets were in fact exceeded." This exciting live action series has already been sold to a large number of territories, including the key markets of Great Britain (Nickelodeon), France (France 2) and Italy (Mediaset). Further sales agreements have been concluded with Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, while negotiations with Scandinavian, Spanish, Latin American, Canadian and Pan-Asian partners are nearing their conclusion. Another successful children's program in the ZDF Enterprises portfolio was "Shaolin Wuzang", a co-production with France 3, which has been sold to Spain, Israel, Germany and a Pan-Eastern European partner. Agreements with partners in Britain and Scandinavia are about to be signed.

In terms of fictional programs the successful detective program "Siska" stands out, with sales including an agreement with NBC Universal to purchase 3 series of the production. German love stories also proved to be highly popular with international clients: rights to romantic TV films in the Rosamunde Pilcher and Inga Lindström series were secured by broadcasters in France, Eastern Europe and Switzerland.

There was also considerable interest in the first film material from the productions "2056" and "Armageddon", while special attention was paid to the Chinese documentaries produced by the ZDF Enterprises subsidiary Gruppe 5: "China's First Emperor" and "The Chinese Armada". Thanks to an exclusive agreement with the Chinese broadcasters CCTV and CITVC, the production company has been granted unlimited access to areas previously off limits to television crews. It has also been possible to interview internationally renowned experts, and the Chinese broadcasters have provided authentic and extensive props to ensure that the production lives up to the highest demands of historical accuracy.