Buyers Move For German Crime Drama ‘SOKO’ As ZDF Studios Brings Classic & YA Series To Cannes

EXCLUSIVE: SOKO remains a big seller internationally, with a raft of buyers snagging the German crime drama.

As MIPCOM started in earnest, ZDF Studios shared news of recent international sales with Deadline. Long-running crime series SOKO has traveled to 12 broadcasters this year, including Walter Presents in the UK, RTL Croatia, Talpa in the Netherlands and Canal+.

As the market got underway, ZDF Studios said it has shopped over 500 hours so far in 2026 to buyers in over 20 territories. SOKO has been one of German pubcaster ZDF’s most successful crime drama series for many years. The latest Season premiered on 2 October.

In terms of established franchises, Mountain Medic and Alpine Rescue have gone to TV2 Denmark, Prima TV in the Czech Republic, and TVS in Poland while romance series Rosamunde Pilcher and Inga Lindström sold to Mediaset Italy, Nova TV Bulgaria and TV3 Baltics among others.

Distributor ZDF Studios has also been shopping younger-skewing fare to buyers ahead of MIPCOM. Vampire series Love Sucks has been licensed to Amazon, Apple, Disney Germany, Sky Switzerland and France Télévisions.

At MIPCOM, ZDF Studios’ scripted highlights include YA series High Valley, which featured in the Deadline Dozen roster of the hottest dramas at the Cannes market.

“The international demand for German scripted content remains very strong,” said Tim Gerhartz, Chief Commercial Officer, ZDF Studios. “Established brands such as Mountain Medic, Alpine Rescue, The Rosenheim Cops and the SOKO franchise continue to perform exceptionally well internationally, demonstrating their reliability and enduring appeal with broad audiences.

He added: “At the same time, we are seeing growing interest in a new generation of German series with a younger audience appeal.”