DW’s talk show for Arab youth, Shababtalk, recently produced a segment in the Iraqi city of Mosul together with local leaders, NGOs and 250 Iraqi students. Mosul was liberated from the so-called Islamic State (IS) in June 2017, and a lot of the city is still in ruins.

The host of Shababtalk, Jaafar Abdul Karim, said that the scene in Mosul’s destroyed old town was very shocking – even after his extensive experience in different crisis regions. The discussion centered on the challenges of rebuilding the city, dealing with the influx of refugees and the rights of minority people in the region. DW worked with local Iraqi production partner Alrasheed TV on the special episode.

Even during the conflict, DW provided a sense of connection to the outside world. One participant in the discussion said that Shababtalk was his “window to the world” during the IS occupation of the city.

The series has made an impact in recent years with young audiences from around the Arab world. The visit to a city like Mosul so directly affected by conflict is a big step for Shababtalk and is an indicator of how important free media and international broadcasting is to regions trying to develop positively for the future.

North America

In cooperation with premium partner LINK TV, a two-hour DW special analyzing the “State of the Union Address” was broadcast nationwide in the US. The DW special delivered a unique European perspective on the US president’s speech. LINK TV specializes in international programming and is broadcast to an estimated 34 million households around the US.

Latin America

Over 40 DW reports from the Berlinale Film Festival and the Munich Security Conference were broadcast in prime time by DW Premium Now partners with the largest audience shares in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru. The partners praised the smooth and efficient workflow of their DW distribution partners.

Asia

DW has a new online partner in Nepal. The English-language news website Kathmandu Tribune will soon begin including online content from DW English.

 

For the grand finale of the 68th Berlinale film festival in Berlin on Saturday, DW’s German-language programming on DW (Deutsch) and DW (Deutsch+) broadcast 24 hours of film specials and live reports.

The Berlinale is one the world’s most renowned film festivals, and culminates every year with a winning film receiving the “Golden Bear” award.

The awards ceremony was broadcast on DW (Deutsch) and DW (Deutsch+) Saturday evening (CET), including interviews with some of the biggest names in German cinema.

Throughout the day, DW’s arts and culture shows Kultur 21, KINO and Euromaxx aired features that unveiled secrets of the German film industry and introduced audiences to legendary films like Manche mögen’s heiß and Die Ehe der Maria Braun. DW’s travel show Check-in featured the history of the Berlinale along with a tour of Berlin’s famous Babelsburg studio.

And even after this movie marathon, DW’s programming freuqently covers trends and highlights from the German film industry. Check out our programming schedule for more information.

North America

DW News is now being broadcast once every day on the public broadcasting channel WHUT-TV in Washington DC. The new partnership is the third for DW News in the US capital along with the channels MHz 11 and MHz Worldview. WHUT can be received by around 2.4 million households.

Asia

At the Cable TV Equipments Traders & Manufacturers Association (CTMA) trade fair in Kolkata, India, DW added 30 new partners and extended numerous contracts with Bangladeshi channels rebroadcasting DW’s English channel in Bangladesh. The CTMA trade fair in east India is a magnet for the Bangladeshi broadcasting industry. The partnerships will bring DW to an estimated 1 million households in Bangladesh.

An Indian news website, the Wire Urdu, is including content from DW Urdu. The Wire is one of India’s most respected online news providers. Their newly launched Urdu service already has over 100,000 visitors every month.

DW has a new VOD partner in Thailand. Hollywood HDTV will broadcast DW’s English channel to a estimated 150,000 customers.

Europe

After a new agreement recently with the IPTV and DTH platform MEO, DW (Deutsch) will be available to 700,000 subrscribers in Portugal. MEO is operated by Portugal Telecom. The new partnership expands the current cooperation with DW’s English channel, which currently has 1 million subscribers.

Also in Portugal, DW is now available in English and German in 75,000 hotel rooms across the country.

DW’s digital strategy is focused on creating solutions for digital distribution that drive online content and diversify platforms. Flexibility to changes like those at Facebook is the key to long-term success.

Facebook recently announced changes to its news feed that could prioritize posts from family and friends over publisher’s content and news articles. Facebook Watch is another change being rolled out that will shift the focus on video content that is shorter than what is on television but longer than what is now seen in the news feed.

An important area of focus right now for DW’s digital content is producing short online videos that can be easily posted and shared. These are specially produced for social media, rather than being repackaged TV content. But with Facebook Watch soon to change the landscape, DW will be focusing on developing video content that fits this new model.

In a recent blog post, DW’s head of digital programming, Ellen Schuster said that the new model presents a chance for content that has already an established community online. “They will get a new playing field that includes the possibility with better data analysis to offer what the community wants more directly.”

A similar strategy is how DW uses YouTube, which is the second largest search engine after Google. DW has created multiple channels that streamline long-form content and make it easier for users to choose what categories and issues they want, rather then having to choose from a mass of content. One of the most successful channels is DW Documentary, which features a new documentary every week exploring everything from travel and tech to politics and society.

While media companies can’t control changes in the third party platforms they depend on, change presents a challenge and a chance for growth. Online content is where the audience of the future is going to be and DW will be where they are clicking and watching.