FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) announced today the first fruits of their labour at the Licensing International Expo, with a new third party brand licensing deal. FME is to represent Dance Academy, the ZDF Enterprises teen and tween property and will be managing the licensing programme in Central, Eastern & Southern Europe, as well as Benelux and the Nordics, across key categories including publishing, retail, apparel, beauty, confectionary, accessories, and interactive.

The deal underscores an already successful relationship between the companies as FME represents and has secured licensing deals in publishing, apparel and beauty for both H2O: Just Add Water and The Elephant Princess on behalf of ZDF Enterprises. Dance Academy is a 26 x 52 minute new Australian drama series about dancers with passion, ambition and drive. Filled with great music, great dance and packed with emotion, Dance Academy is an uplifting programme aimed at teens and tweens and those simply with a passion for dance.

Diana M. Dieckmann, Vice President Licensing, Central, Eastern & Southern Europe, Fremantle Licensing Germany, who brokered the deal commented, “I’m really looking forward to taking our work with ZDF Enterprises to another level and to expanding our portfolio of teen and tween titles following our recent successes in this genre with H2O: Just Add Water and The Elephant Princess. Dance Academy is a fantastic show with many licensing opportunities.”

Sylvia Brucker, Director of Merchandising, ZDF Enterprises, adds, “We are delighted to extend our partnership with FME to include Dance Academy, as we continue to work together in a strategic push in brand licensing aimed at teens and tweens.”

The deal further highlights FME’s position as one of the leading third party brand representatives.