Summit International has slotted into place the German piece of its output deal jigsaw with a three-year deal with Tele-Muenchen Group (TMG).

The agreement will kick off with Twilight and Sex Drive and covers all rights in Germany and Austria as well as television rights in German-speaking Switzerland through 2010.

Going forward Summit will supply films produced, co-produced and/or acquired by Summit during the output term, excluding only agency films.

TMG's wholly-owned affiliate Concorde led by Markus Zimmer (Concorde Filmverleih) and Michael Ivert (Concorde Home Entertainment) will handle theatrical and video distribution of the output films as well as In The Valley Of Elah and Get Some, which Summit acquired separately prior to the deal. Free and pay TV rights will be handled by Tele Muenchen directly.

'We have dealt with Herbert (TMG MD Kloiber)and his team for many years and have always enjoyed a great relationship with them, both professionally and personally,' Summit International CEO Patrick Wachsberger and Summit Entertainment COO Bob Hayward said.

'Tele-Muenchen is the ideal partner for Summit with a first-class distribution organisation and a strong television and exhibition operation. They are a great home for our product and we are very proud to have them as our output partner.'

'Patrick and I have known each other far too long to even count the years,'Kloiber remarked.

'Among all the deals we have done over the past three decades some were successful and some were not so successful, but what has always impressed me was the passion and quality behind Patrick and Bob's line up, be it their own productions or sales titles.

'The current WGA strike and the expected SAG strike won't make things any easier for Summit in their first year out as a US distributor, but long term we have high hopes for the slate that Patrick, Bob, and Rob Friedman are building, along with talented young executives like Erik Feig. We have no doubt that Summit will be a major US studio in a few years time.'

TMG's exclusive US representative Thomas Augsberger negotiated the deal with Wachsberger and Hayward.

Summit announced a Scandinavian output deal with Nordisk Film at the weekend, and previously agreed terms on a French deal with SND/M6.

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