Content that caters to a diverse range of audience interests

ORF's "Universum History" is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. During that time, it has been telling the story of humankind in exciting documentaries based on the latest scientific findings, with high-quality re-enacted segments and viewed from a wide variety of perspectives, often taking a 'female' perspective, which had been written primarily by men for a long time. "The high-quality history films can seamlessly follow the success of ORF's 'Universum' nature films and have been a staple in our catalog ever since the inception of the blue-chip strand," said Armin Luttenberger, Head of Department Content Sales International at ORF Enterprise.

The distributor's 2023 fall line-up covers dark and lesser-known chapters of European history like "Pride and Persecution" which deals with the milestones of the early gay and lesbian movements in Austria and Germany, or "Maria Theresa's Dark Side" which delves into the 1744 expulsion of Jews from Prague by Empress Maria Theresa and the relentless efforts of Prague's Jewish community to reverse the decree. Finally, "Death Trap Mallorca - Joy and Sorrow in Exile" tells the story of intellectuals in the Balearic Islands after General Franco's sudden rise in 1939. "Our content portfolio not only includes drama highlights but also encompasses blue-chip history and nature documentaries, factual docs, as well as a selection of culture titles, allowing us to cater to a diverse range of audience interests," affirmed Luttenberger.

"Universum Nature" is another blue-chip brand from ORF, and fans of premium documentaries can expect six brand-new hours highlights projects, one of them being "Untamed Vietnam - Wilderness Reborn," which tells the stories of the wildlife of Vietnam. Furthermore, "Secret India - The Real Jungle Book" explores the real-life counterparts to Rudyard Kipling's iconic characters from "The Jungle Book" in India's wildlife, and in "Nicobar Islands - A Monkey's Long Tale," the filmmaker takes up the challenge of exploring the archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

NEW LAUNCHES
ORF Enterprise is committed to offering high-quality content to longtime buyers with a substantial output from various genres. One of those launches is "Kafka," a co-production by ORF and ARD, scheduled for the one-hundredth anniversary of the novelist's death. Moreover, ORF will launch "School of Champions," which tells the stories of first-year students at a prestigious ski academy. "With the first season of 'School of Champions' and the 'Kafka' event series, we introduce two titles with outstanding production value to the market, showcasing our commitment to high-quality content," Luttenberger added.

"School of Champions," an ORF/BR/SRF co-production, is set to premiere in early 2024 and marks the creative collaboration of young filmmakers, an established Austrian production company with three public broadcasters. "Our international engagement is a pivotal part of our strategy, and our participation in events like Mipcom reaffirms this commitment. As usual, we are actively working to establish and strengthen partnerships with international partners and buyers," Luttenberger said. "We are thrilled to announce that ORF has already committed to producing a second season of 'School of Champions.' As the global distributor of the show, we can offer an attractive package," he added. "Both titles are an attractive addition to our scripted catalog, which offers a wide range from TV movies to long-running series, which have proven to be loved by global audiences. In parallel, our collaboration with Austrian producers and promotion of Austria's new incentive system, FISAplus, exemplifies our dedication to the local industry. These initiatives are a testament to our desire to foster collaborations and explore new opportunities for future projects," Luttenberger concluded.

GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
ORF Enterprise's executive affirmed that the increasing number of AVOD platforms and FAST channels offer additional ways to distribute ORF content. "We notice a high demand for special interest content, library content, and our old favorites and fictional classics. That enables us to place our newest titles and highlights and distribute high-quality documentaries or fictional series from our voluminous back catalog," Luttenberger explained. "This additional distribution option requires an even more refined content strategy to not interfere with the traditional sales activities and results in an increasing fragmentation and thus the need for an agile rights management to maximize the revenue for producers and co-production partners. However, we enjoy creating more business opportunities and reaching more viewers worldwide and on various channels," he concluded.

By Romina Rodríguez