australian television information archive

ZDF Enterprises launches 'H2O ­ Just Add Water' at MIPCOM 2006 with a splash!

ZDF Enterprises announces the launch of 'H2O - Just Add Water' at this year's MIPCOM television trade fair in Cannes (9th - 13th October 2006).

Says ZDF Enterprises President and CEO Alexander Coridass: 'We are proud to continue our successful relationship with Jonathan M. Shiff with yet another spectacular series from this creative and powerful BAFTA-award-winning producer. MIPCOM visitors will be thrilled by our 'H2O - Just Add Water' booth decoration. On top of this, we are giving away a luxury vacation for two on the original set of the series, Australia’s Gold Coast. All one has to do to participate in the sweepstake is to answer a question on our website www.zdf-enterprises.de.'

Produced by Australia's Jonathan M. Shiff Productions and coproduced by Australia’s Network TEN, German Pubcaster ZDF as well as ZDF Enterprises, the new half-hour live action series for children, teens and families relates the adventures of three 16-year-old girls growing up on Australia's sunny Gold Coast. After a visit to a mysterious island, they discover that they've only got seconds to dry off at the contact of water before they start growing tails. They've become mermaids! What's more, they also have superpowers. The girls just want to live normal lives, and their friend Lewis is ready to help them, but there's a bad boy out there who wants to get to the bottom of the mermaid mystery ...

The production boasts spectacular underwater scenes and CGI effects such as the computer-enhanced mermaids, which heighten the program's appeal to young viewers. Twenty-six half -hours are already available, another twenty-six are currently in production Down Under for Australia's Network TEN and the Disney Channel Australia, as well as for Germany's public network ZDF and its children's channel KiKa.

ZDF Enterprises is handling the worldwide distribution of all rights outside Australia and New Zealand. Major broadcasters in France, the U.K. and Italy have already secured the rights for their channels or are in final negotiations. With a budget of more than 14,040,000 (US$ 17,950,000) for the entire series, 'H2O' is the fourth teen-skewed live-action coproduction involving the Australian and German partners, following two seasons of 'Wicked Science' (52 x 26') and 'Scooter: Secret Agent' (26 x 26').

'H2O' starts airing on ZDF in December 2006 and is already being shown in Australia (Network Ten), with Disney getting first-run ahead of Ten. The same partnership is now developing 'Lost Treasures of Fiji' (13 x 30'), a US$ 9 million sequel to Shiff's previous Pirate Islands.

September 26, 2006
Press release
ZDF Enterprises