This week, DW is showcasing its wide range of programming options at DISCOP Africa in Johannesburg. The conference is billed as the “No. 1 event dedicated to the commerce, the production and the distribution of multiscreen, television content across Africa.”

DW will showcase its 24-hour English-to-Africa channel as well as DW’s switch to a SES-5 satellite transmission, which makes DW programming available for free, direct-to-home. The lineup of documentaries available through Transtel will also be presented. Discop Africa takes place from October 31 to November 1.

This month has seen two DW documentaries winning prestigious European awards. “Machine Music – Four Decades of German Electronic and Dance Music” took home a Golden Dolphin at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards. Another documentary with a musical focus, “Schumann at Pier2,” won the Czech Television Prize.

“Machine Music” is all about the evolution of electronic pop music in Germany. The two-part film, by Reiner Schild and Anja Freyhoff-King, starts with German pioneer Kraftwerk in the 1970s and goes on to show the influence of German groups on international acts like Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys.

The Golden Dolphin is the fourth award for “Machine Music,” which was released in 2010 as part of the Deutsche Beats project.

“Schumman at Pier2” is shaping up to follow in the footsteps of “Machine Music.” “Schumann” director Christian Berger and producer Bernhard Fleischer accepted the Czech Television Prize in Prague last week.

“Schumann at Pier2” is a modern take on the four symphonies made by legendary composer Robert Schumann. The narrative follows Estonian-American conductor Paavo Järvi and members of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen as they play at a converted shipyard.

This Friday (October 26) sees the official release event for “Schumann at Pier2” at Kino International in Berlin. Audiences will be able to watch the documentary on DW as well as the European cultural channel Arte starting in November. Berlin-based C Major Entertainment plans to sell a DVD box set including recordings by the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.

Europe

DW has created a platform for German-Turkish dialogue with Buluşma Noktası. The bilingual (German and Turkish) online specials will showcase how the two cultures are in constant exchange and dialogue. In the spotlight will be four culturally active individuals from Berlin and Istanbul – including the author and artist Werner Felten, journalist Sirin Manolya Sak, author Ahmet Tulgar and photographer Jochen Proehl. For six weeks, these individuals will be posting their views and opinions in a German and Turkish language blog.

 

Asia

DW has signed two new partners for Learning by Ear in Afghanistan. Radio Sabawoon and Radio Zindagi broadcast to the highly-populated and politically relevant provinces of Helmland and Herat. They join the existing partners Radio Ariana, Radio Nawa, the Afghan Independent Radio Association and Radio Amozgar as Learning by Ear partners.

DW gas been added to 15 new cable stations in Pakistan – including several in Islamabad, Lahore and Bahawalpur. The new cable stations reach a total of more than 270,000 households. There are now 262 cable partners that are including DW’s English program in their television lineup.

DW has also added a new television partner in Indonesia with the recently launched DTH provider PentaVision. The new pay TV provider will offer more than 50 channels in English and Bahasa and provide programming to viewers throughout Indonesia via the IPSTAR satellite. PentaVision is looking to expand to include 450,000 subscribers in the next three years.

Global

Deutsche Welle has signed an agreement with the United Nations expanding the partnership that was established five years ago. The agreement enables DW to supplement its television programming with materials from UN-produced documentaries. DW welcomes this as a way of enriching its internationally-focused television series like World Stories and Global 3000 with new perspectives and high-quality reporting from around the world.

DW Transtel will be covering a vibrant spectrum at this year’s MIPCOM with new shows like The Allure of Nature, Art Beats and Beyond Progress, as well as a range of new episodes from favorites like Ecopia and Struggle for Survival.

“Our strength has always been in the areas of documentaries, infotainment and European culture – and we continue to find different ways to inspire and capture the imagination of our audiences worldwide,” said Petra Schneider, DW’s Director of Distribution. “Our viewers may have different backgrounds, lifestyles and interests, but what they have in common is a need for interesting, new insights and viewpoints not available from other sources.”

New programming titles

• The Allure of Nature casts a spotlight on the breathtaking images of nature from the most unusual perspectives. The color and texture of the natural world is captured from unexpected angles to reveal not only its beauty but also the power it wields.
• Beyond Progress casts a critical light on the scientific and techno-logical achievements of our time and discusses their ecological, eco-nomic and ethical impact and questions the value and price of those achievements.
• Art Beats celebrates the unsung heroes of culture; street musicians and graffiti artists, samba and tango virtuosos, masters of caricature and satire and their power to unite nations and peoples.

For more information, visit us at Booth 19.14. at MIPCOM 2012 from October 8-11.

With its latest webdoc, DW invites children young and old to explore the underwater world in the South Pacific with Namati – a young coral off the coast of Vanuatu. Namati’s World is the latest webdoc from the Global Ideas team. It offers spectacular underwater video footage and a story full of suspense. Namati tells the story of her amazing experiences off the coast of Pele Island in the Pacific archipelago nation of Vanuatu. At 114 years of age, Namati is still a child. Brain corals can live to be over a thousand years old – that is, if they can withstand the effects of global climate change such as the warming of the world’s oceans.