18/08/2026 - Five public service broadcasters have joined forces to develop scripted series for children aged 7+, with the initiative opening its first call for projects across Northern Europe

l-r: Morten Skov, head of Children's Channel and Content, DR; Hans-Jørgen Osnes, head of International Financing Drama, NRK; Patricia Hidalgo, director, BBC Children's & Education; Anne Dreesen, channel manager, Ketnet, VRT; and Robert Fortuijn, manager NPO Zapp/Zappelin (© BBC)

Five Northern European public service broadcasters have launched the Northern Star Project, a new collaboration designed to support the development and production of ambitious children’s drama that can travel across borders. The partnership brings together VRT (Flanders), the BBC (UK), DR (Denmark), NPO (Netherlands) and NRK (Norway), pooling their funding, editorial expertise and commissioning power across five markets.

The initiative was first announced in June and formally launched its first joint call in July at The Children’s Media Conference in Sheffield, inviting producers to submit original scripted live-action projects aimed at children aged seven and upwards.

Northern Star has been established against a backdrop of growing pressure on the European children’s content sector, with the participating broadcasters seeking to create projects that combine strong local storytelling with the potential to reach audiences across multiple territories. The partnership is intended to offer producers and creative talent new opportunities to work across markets while enabling the broadcasters to share the costs and resources required to deliver ambitious drama.

The first strand focuses on original scripted live-action series for children aged 7-9 or 10-12. Projects are expected to consist of multiple episodes of up to 30 minutes, with a total intended duration of 150-240 minutes. The partners are looking for stories with relatable characters and a strong connection to contemporary childhood, alongside projects that can work across linear television, streaming and online video platforms.

The five broadcasters have identified four shared priorities for the initiative: reflecting the challenges and pleasures of modern childhood; creating content capable of competing in an increasingly crowded global media environment; ensuring authentic representation both on and off screen; and developing platform-agnostic projects that can reach audiences through different forms of distribution.

The first Northern Star call is open to independent production companies based in the UK, Norway, Flanders, the Netherlands or Denmark. Applicants must own the intellectual property (IP) rights to their proposed projects, while existing IP can be used only where the relevant rights are already held by the production firm. Each company can submit up to three projects, with proposals to be submitted in English and limited to three pages.

The selection process will begin with a national assessment in each participating territory, followed by a joint review by the five broadcasters. Ten projects are expected to be shortlisted for online pitch meetings in January 2027, after which up to three will receive development funding of up to £20,000 (approximately €23,400) each. The selected projects will then be developed with the involvement of the participating broadcasters, with the aim of eventually taking one project through to a full series commission.

Each project will be led by one of the participating broadcasters, while the wider Northern Star group will contribute to its development and assess its potential to travel across the five markets. If a project is commissioned, the lead broadcaster is expected to be the national broadcaster of the territory where the production company is based, with the other participating broadcasters having opportunities to license the finished programme for their respective markets.

Development is expected to begin in 2027, with production targeted for 2028 and releases from 2029. The first call for submissions closes on 30 September 2026. More information can be found here.