"Asbestos"
OneGate Media to globally distribute hit crime series "Asbestos" (5x45') from Pantaleon Films. The series launched on ARD’s Mediathek in January to record numbers of 3 million views in 3 days, making it the strongest series start in history on the streaming platform. "Asbestos" is a production by Pantaleon Films GmbH on behalf of ARD Degeto for ARD Mediathek. The series is funded by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
The series from director Kida Khodr Ramadan ("4 Blocks") follows 19-year-old Momo, a promising young football player whose dreams are left in tatters when he is sent to prison after being framed by his uncle for a crime he didn’t commit. In this harsh new environment, Momo faces an impossible dilemma: Should he stick to his principles by staying clean? Or accept the offer of protection from his uncle by dealing drugs from the inside?
Tania Reichert-Facilides, Managing Director of OneGate Media GmbH, comments: "'Asbestos is the perfect example of emotive and captivating crime storytelling, and it makes the perfect addition to our growing portfolio. With it being ARD’s most prolific series launch in history, and executed perfectly by the brilliant Kida Khodr Ramadan, we are confident it will match the success of our number 1 hit series 'Deadlock'. These acquisitions to our portfolio are part of our strategy focusing on high production value for broad audiences. Congratulations to Pantaleon Films for this excellent series and its huge success.”
Frank Kusche, Producer of Pantaleon Films GmbH, says: “We are extremely proud of 'Asbestos' becoming ARD’s most successful ever platform release, and there’s no better place for the series to be for worldwide distribution than with OneGate Media in its impressive crime catalogue. The story is new and compelling for global audiences and after having the strongest start possible in Germany already, we can’t wait to put it in front of the rest of the world.”
The acquisition by OneGate Media follows the 2022 rebrand from Studio Hamburg Enterprises and the strengthened crime catalogue owned by the distributor. Last year, OneGate acquired global rights to hit series German "Crime Story: Deadlock", Neue Bioskop Television's true-crime series for Prime Video. This followed the news that the distributor secured world distribution rights for German production company FFP New Media’s "Lost in Fuseta", a crime drama based on the bestselling novel by Grimme Award Winner Holger Karsten Schmidt.