NHK has acquired the rights for an exclusive broadcast of Bavaria Media International’s crime series Tatort, as part of the ‘German Crime Weeks’. The broadcast will air on the AXN Mystery Channel (part of NHK) in June 2024.
Tatort is a series of weekly crime films that debuted in 1970. A joint production of ARD, ORF, and SRF, Tatort is currently counting over 1,200 films featuring rotating investigative teams that solve criminal cases at mostly urban locations. Now, the team of commissars Boerne and Thiel from Muenster will be investigating on AXN Mystery Channel in Japan. This marks the first sale of Tatort in Japan.
Helge Köhnen, head of Content Sales at Bavaria Media, said: “This significant licensing agreement marks a milestone in the international distribution of the popular crime series ‘Tatort’, which not only has a long-standing tradition in the German-speaking world but is increasingly gaining interest in other countries as well. We are delighted that Japanese viewers will now have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the fascinating world of ‘Tatort’, characterized by exciting criminal cases and multifaceted investigators.”
Yukiko Akiyama, executive officer, Programming & Production at Mystery Channel, AXN -NHK, said: “Mystery fans in Japan are familiar with the fact that the United Kingdom is a ‘powerhouse of mystery dramas’, but they are not yet aware that Germany is also a powerhouse for crime dramas and Germany has produced a nationally very popular and long-running crime series, including the legendary series ‘Tatort’. We, Mystery Channel, believe that it is our mission to introduce ‘the world’s great mystery dramas’ to Japanese viewers, and we have decided to feature nationally popular German crime drama series in this June, in order to let viewers know how interesting German productions are. We believe, ‘Tatort’ is one of the excellent German mysteries, and it is deserved to be included in our special selection.”
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