ZDFE acquires Dutch distributor Off The Fence

ZDF Enterprises has acquired Dutch producer-distributor Off The Fence.

The German business has bought the business outright, with OTF boss Ellen Windemuth set to stay on as CEO of the distributor. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

TBI understands that OTF has been on sale for some time. The business was among the distribution entities initially considered by Kew Media Group, which instead went on to acquire boutique factual distributor TCB Media.

Founded in 1994, OTF produces and distributes global-facing factual programming.

The production company has created more than 500 hours of content for a range of international broadcasters including History Channel, MTV, BBC, Channel 4, MSNBC, PBS, National Geographic Channel, Discovery and ZDF.

Meanwhile, the distributor has a catalogue of more than 6,500 hours of programming across wildlife, science, history, travel and lifestyle. It has sales offices in Amsterdam, London, Cape Town and Mainz.

Windemuth said: “We are very excited to join such a clever and dynamic group. We have worked closely together for 20 years, and there is a lot of mutual respect. We have developed a synergistic common strategy, and I look forward to realizing it together.”

Fred Burcksen, president and CEO of ZDF Enterprises, added: “Ellen has been a valued partner of ZDF Enterprises in general and for ZDFE.unscripted in particular for many years. We have always admired her innovative strength, creative spirit and economical power. For all of us, it was the next logical step in our partnership to join forces and networks in order to enable us to jointly be even more successful in the future.”