In a major boost to its regional content offering, Disney+ has signed a multi-year licensing agreement with ZDF Studios, the commercial arm of one of Europe’s largest public broadcasters.
The deal will bring over 3,000 episodes and films from ZDF’s extensive catalogue to Disney+ subscribers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland by the end of the year.
Launching on August 27, the curated collection — titled ZDF Films and Series — will be available as part of the standard Disney+ subscription. The partnership marks a significant expansion of Disney+’s local programming strategy, reinforcing its commitment to delivering high-quality, culturally resonant content to European audiences.
“This deal marks an exciting new milestone built on our collaboration with leading European broadcasters,” said Karl Holmes, General Manager of Disney+, EMEA. “We’ve long admired the distinctive storytelling of ZDF’s films and series, and we’re delighted to bring even more local content to Disney+ customers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.”
The new collection will feature beloved German-language series such as SOKO, München Mord, Nord Nord Mord, Marie Brand, and Wilsberg, alongside family-friendly formats and crime dramas. Select new seasons of ZDF shows will also be added to Disney+ shortly after their linear TV broadcast, offering subscribers timely access to fresh content.
This move builds on Disney+’s growing slate of locally produced originals, including Interpreter of Silence, Sam – A Saxon, and the upcoming Call My Agent Berlin. It also follows previous licensing collaborations with ZDF Studios, which brought popular titles like Der Bergdoktor and Die Bergretter to the platform.
Disney+ has been busy this year building bridges with major European broadcasters: there was a similar deal earlier this year between Disney+ and ITV. On July 16, 2025, the two companies launched a partnership that allows curated selections of each other’s content to be available on their respective streaming platforms—Disney+ and ITVX.
Source: https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2025/08/25/disney-and-zdf-studios-sign-major-content-deal/
