MIPCOM 2023: ORF-Enterprise documentary and drama slate is high demand

Right at the beginning of the MIPCOM, ORF-Enterprise welcomed members from the industry to the traditional "ORF Apéro" evening event. At the invitation of Eva Schindlauer, Commercial Director of ORF, and ORF Program Director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz, the guests were given exclusive insights into the new series "School of Champions", which will premiere in early 2024. The very first clips from the event series "Kafka", created by David Schalko and Daniel Kehlmann, also caused a stir. The ARD/ORF tentpole series is scheduled to be aired in summer 2024. The showcase also included brand-new ORF "Universum" nature and history documentaries.

"ORF-Enterprise is proud to serve as reliable content supplier to partners worldwide. In addition to ORF's 'Universum' documentaries, fictional ORF originals also enjoy an outstanding reputation. High-quality, public service ORF content helps our long-term partners diversify their programming. This differentiation through uniquely premium content is an essential asset in a competitive market," said Oliver Böhm, Managing Director of ORF-Enterprise.

"We are very pleased with the high demand across all genres. Thanks to the year-long partnerships with broadcasters and platforms from all over the world, ORF-Enterprise continues its commitment to serve as a one-stop-shop for high quality content with an extensive catalog. While blue-chip factual content has always been a pillar of our repertoire, the fictional ORF Originals have proven to be a guaranteeing factor for best ratings from audiences around the globe," sums up Armin Luttenberger, Head of Content Sales International at ORF-Enterprise.

DRAMA CONTENT
Denmark has a passion for high-quality crime dramas, as TV2 secures a package of five "Tatort" TV movies. Discovery (Italy) also licensed no fewer than 26 movies of the long running crime strand, which already had previously proven to be a success in Italy. “We had the privilege to bring to Italy – with great success in terms of TV ratings – the cycle of the popular series of movies set in the beautiful and historic Austrian capital. And we’re very happy to have licensed, as a first run, other six new movies with the odd and funny couple of detectives Moritz Eisner and Bibi Fellner which is so loved by our audience”, says Sandro Sgrulloni, Programming & Content Acquisition Senior Manager at Warner Bros. Discovery Italia.

“I am very happy to be picking up the new Tatort movies. I have been buying this great franchise for years and they work very well for us at TV2 with their well told and relevant crime stories and not at least the unique partnership between Adele Neuhauser and Harald Krassnitzer that radiates through the screen in every movie,” adds Lars Erik Nielsen, Acquisitions Executive at TV2 Denmark.
German audiences are open to Austrian wit, as ARD One secures several seasons of the satirical hit dramedy series "Suburbia - Women on the Edge". LRT (Lithuania) opts for several seasons of the flagship ORF Original Crime series "Fast Forward".

ARTS AND CULTURE TITLES
SBS (Australia) enthralls its audience with "Duel of the Crown Princes - Rudolf of Austria and William of Prussia.” Italy’s RAI also features said production and will soon showcase “Lake Tanganyika - Africa’s Blue Heart". With the festive Christmas season approaching, Justica TV (Mexico) has handpicked the internationally acclaimed concert event, "Christmas in Vienna 2022", featuring the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, stellar artists like Miriam Kutrowatz, Vincent Schirrmacher, and Jamie Barton from the Vienna Konzerthaus.

KTO (France) will bring the Austrian Christmas spirit to its viewers through "Sound of Winter: The Christmas Oratorio". This musical extravaganza blends the magnificent architecture of St. Lambertus Church in Werfenweng with the timeless compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach. YLE (Finland) picks the history doc "The Last Emperor - Charles I of Austria" as well as wildlife and nature documentaries "The Return of the Aurochs" and "High Life in the Dead Mountains".

UNIVERSUM NATURE
ORF's blue-chip strand "Universum Nature" continues to garner accolades and demand at MIPCOM 2023. Spanish audiences will be presented "Leopard Legacy" and "Wild Austria - Created by Water" on RTVE. RTBF (Belgium) enriches its programming with "Ark of Stone - The Voyage of Sardinia" and "Feathered Friends". Across the pond, ORF productions also continue to captivate viewers. CBC in Canada is set to broadcast "The Raven's Tale - Mystic Czechia," a hit that will also grace the screens of SRF (Switzerland), in addition to other ORF factual highlights like "Water of Life - Wilderness, Whisky, Highlands".

HRT (Croatia) showcases "Austria's World Heritage - Monuments, Masterpieces and Magnificent Nature" providing a glimpse into Austria's rich cultural legacy. Audiences are also treated to other documentaries focusing on the country, such as "Austria - Land of Lakes" and "Castles, Mansions and Estates in the Alps-Adriatic Area". China’s CCTV brings "Life on the Wing - Miracle of Bird Migration" to its viewers, bringing the ORF "Universum Nature" brand the potential to reach a vast audience of millions.