Good 'Mourning,' You're Watching Death TV

PASSAU, Germany, Nov 2, 2007 — -- Etos TV, Europe's first channel devoted to death, goes on the air in Germany early next year, but people are already talking about it.

Backed in part by a German undertakers association, the channel will include documentaries on German cemeteries and talk show discussions about burial practices, and will offer on-air obituaries, for a fee.

Most Germans have always taken a very traditional stand on subjects like death and burials. But in recent years, many Germans have opted for simple, anonymous burials, an obvious threat to the future of funeral homes.

Enter media entrepreneur Wolf Tilmann Schneider who, along with the undertakers association, came up with the idea of a "Mourning Channel, " as it's been dubbed by some.

"Information on all aspects of daily life are in demand, so why not talk about death in the family and what it all means?" asks Schneider. "We will cater to people outside the 14-49 age groups. Other people may want information on how to make sure that the family is covered in the event of their death."

The motivation behind Schneider's idea is simple.

"Some 830,000 people die here a year," he told ABC News. "Some 2 million elderly are in care homes. It's a huge market out there. There is demand for information about death, inheritance law and insurance policies, to name but a few."

Rolf Lichtner, a spokesman for the undertakers association, explains, "This should not be seen as yet another advertising channel. In fact, advertising our product is secondary. What we want to see on that channel is information. Nobody likes to talk about death, but we want to bring it out in the open. We want them to learn about the culture surrounding death."