What Bavaria Fiction does

Bavaria Fiction GmbH is a German full-service television production company founded in 2007 and headquartered at the Bavaria Filmstadt studio complex in Geiselgasteig near Munich. It is jointly owned by Bavaria Film Content GmbH and ZDF Studios GmbH, with Managing Director Jan S. Kaiser leading the company since its founding and Jörg Schönenborn serving as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. The company specializes in producing scripted television across formats — daily telenovelas, weekly prime-time crime series, TV-movie franchises, event drama series, and comedies — for Germany's public-service broadcasters, principally ZDF and ARD/Das Erste (coordinated through ARD Degeto Film), with selected titles also licensed internationally via Sky Deutschland, Netflix, and other streaming platforms.

The company's product portfolio centers on a deep catalog of long-running, audience-proven IPs including the daily telenovela Sturm der Liebe (on air since 2005), the crime series SOKO Stuttgart (on ZDF since 2009, now in its 18th season), Die Rosenheim-Cops, multiple Tatort installments, the ARD Degeto franchise Die Drei von der Müllabfuhr, and prestige event series such as Das Boot and Freud. Annual output is approximately 16,000 broadcast minutes, reaching millions of viewers weekly and positioning the company as one of Europe's most productive scripted-TV producers. The underlying production technology is a conventional broadcast-television studio stack — development through delivery handled in-house — leveraging the Bavaria Filmstadt studio infrastructure provided by its parent Bavaria Film.

Bavaria Fiction operates a B2B commissioned-production business model: broadcasters' editorial teams (Redaktionen) commission, finance, and license content, while Bavaria Fiction serves as the production partner handling creative development, physical production, and delivery. Revenue is generated through production fees and content licensing to commissioning broadcasters. Distribution is primarily domestic through ZDF, ARD/Das Erste, and their respective Mediathek streaming portals, with selected international distribution via Sky Deutschland, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Google Play. The company has no public pricing for its services, as all engagements are negotiated as bespoke production contracts.

Name

Bavaria Fiction

Legal name

Bavaria Fiction GmbH

Website

https://bavaria-fiction.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bavaria Fiction is a German television production company jointly owned by Bavaria Film and ZDF Studios, producing ~16,000 broadcast minutes annually of crime series, telenovelas, event dramas, and TV movies for Germany's public broadcasters ZDF and ARD.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Geiselgasteig

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commissioned TV Production: Bavaria Fiction produces TV content on commission for German broadcasters including ZDF, ARD/Das Erste, and ARD Degeto Film. Revenue is generated through production fees and licensing of produced content to commissioning broadcasters. Key productions include ongoing series (SOKO Stuttgart since 2009), daily telenovelas (Sturm der Liebe), TV movies, event productions, and crime series.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bavaria Fiction is a German television production company that produces commissioned TV content for major German public broadcasters, including crime series, daily telenovelas, TV movies, event productions, and comedies. The company manages the full production pipeline from development through delivery for clients such as ZDF, ARD/Das Erste, and ARD Degeto Film, producing approximately 16,000 broadcast minutes annually.

Product overview

Bavaria Fiction is a German television production company that produces a diverse portfolio of TV content including crime series (SOKO Stuttgart, Die Rosenheim-Cops, Tatort series), telenovelas (Sturm der Liebe), dramatic series (Dr. Klein, Das Boot, Freud), TV movies, documentary series, and event productions. The company operates as a full-service production firm producing content for German public broadcasters (ARD, ZDF) and streaming platforms. Their productions range from daily telenovelas to high-end limited series and event dramas. Notable products include the long-running SOKO Stuttgart (crime series since 2009), Sturm der Liebe (telenovela airing since 2005), Die Rosenheim-Cops (crime series), and event productions like Das Boot and Freud. The company also produces film series such as Die Drei von der Müllabfuhr and various Inga Lindström and Endlich Witwer franchises.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SOKO Stuttgart

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ARD Degeto FilmcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorARD Degeto Film is the coordinating commissioning editor for multiple Bavaria Fiction productions including the daily telenovela Sturm der Liebe and the film series Die Drei von der Müllabfuhr for ARD Das Erste. ARD Degeto acts as the interface between individual ARD broadcaster regional stations and production companies, commissioning and coordinating content for the 'Endlich Freitag im Ersten' programming slot and daily programming.
• ZDFcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorZDF is the primary commissioning broadcaster for Bavaria Fiction's crime series SOKO Stuttgart (since 2009, 18+ seasons), as well as event productions like Das Boot, Freud, and numerous TV movies. ZDF commissions, funds, and broadcasts produced content, also making it available via ZDF Mediathek and ZDF streaming portal.
• Sky DeutschlandmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSky Deutschland co-commissions and distributes the high-end event series Das Boot alongside Bavaria Fiction. The series has international distribution beyond Germany's public broadcasters.
• NetflixminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetflix distributes select Bavaria Fiction productions internationally through its streaming platform, including the series Dr. Klein.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ndF: neue deutsche Filmgesellschaft: ndF is a Berlin-based German TV and film production company producing scripted series, TV movies and event productions for public broadcasters. It competes with Bavaria Fiction for ARD and ZDF commissions and shares the same commissioned-production business model.
• Studio Hamburg: Studio Hamburg is a major German film and TV production group producing scripted series, TV movies and event productions primarily for NDR/ARD and ZDF. It operates the same B2B commissioned-production model and competes directly with Bavaria Fiction for public-broadcaster commissions.
• UFA Fiction: UFA Fiction is the largest German scripted TV producer, producing prime-time series and telenovelas for German public and private broadcasters. It directly competes with Bavaria Fiction for ARD and ZDF commissioning slots and operates in the same B2B commissioned-production model.
• Polyphon Film- und Fernsehgesellschaft: Polyphon is a leading Hamburg-based German TV producer of scripted series, event movies and family entertainment for ARD, ZDF and other broadcasters. It is a direct comparable in scale and genre mix to Bavaria Fiction, producing long-running formats on commission.
• Constantin Film: Constantin Film produces and distributes German-language feature films and TV series, including high-end drama and event productions comparable to Bavaria Fiction's Das Boot and Freud. It competes for the same talent, broadcaster commissions, and theatrical/streaming distribution windows.
• Letterbox Filmproduktion: Letterbox Filmproduktion is a Cologne-based German production company producing scripted series, TV movies and event productions for German public broadcasters. It operates in the same B2B commissioned-production model and competes for ARD/ZDF commissions.
• Ziegler Film: Ziegler Film is a Berlin-based German TV and film producer producing TV movies, event dramas and series primarily for ARD Degeto and ZDF. It directly competes with Bavaria Fiction in the same 'Endlich Freitag im Ersten' and ZDF event-movie commissioning slots.
• Wüste Film: Wüste Film is a Hamburg-based German production company focused on high-end scripted series and event productions, including internationally distributed dramas. It is comparable in format (event drama, series) and target broadcasters (ARD/ZDF) to Bavaria Fiction.

Broad incumbents

• Fremantle: Fremantle is one of the world's largest content producers and distributors, with significant German scripted production through its local labels. It is a broader incumbent competing with Bavaria Fiction for international commissions and global streaming-platform partnerships.

Regional players

• Beta Film: Beta Film is a major German-based international distribution and co-financing group for scripted TV series, partnering with producers on international sales. It is comparable to Bavaria Fiction's international distribution efforts (e.g., Das Boot, Freud) and competes for premium scripted IP.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BavariaFiction
• Facebookfacebook.com/BavariaFiction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bavaria-fiction
• Instagraminstagram.com/bavariafiction
• TikToktiktok.com/@bavariafiction
• Xx.com/bavariafiction

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bavaria Fiction