Taglicht Media

What Taglicht Media does

Taglicht Media (legal entity: taglicht media Film- & Fernsehproduktion GmbH) is a Cologne-based independent documentary and television production company founded in 1996. The company produced approximately 50 hours of documentary programming per year, spanning history, science, natural history/wildlife, and current affairs, for German public broadcasters (ARD, ZDF, ARTE) as primary commissioning partners and for international networks (Smithsonian Channel, PBS, Discovery, National Geographic, ORF, Servus TV, France 5, RAI) via co-production and distribution arrangements. Notable productions include the Emmy-winning 'Jesse Owens' (2014), the Grimme Prize-winning 'File G' (2015), and the Green Screen Festival-sweeping 'A Bee's Diary' (2021).

The company's revenue model is built on production-fee and licensing-royalty streams: it secures commissions from public broadcasters, co-produces with international partners (notably Spring Films in London and Gunpowder&Sky in Los Angeles/New York), and distributes the resulting catalog globally through albatross World Sales and Autentic, with selected titles placed on streaming platforms such as discovery+ and Sky Nature. It supplements commissions with German regional film funding (Film- und Medienstiftung NRW). The business carries no consumer-facing software products, no public pricing, and no disclosed technology stack beyond conventional film production.

In August 2024 the company ceased all production activities and subsequently entered formal insolvency proceedings (Insolvenzverfahren) administered by Dr. Christoph Niering of NST Rechtsanwälte. The entity continues to exist in a wind-down posture, monetizing its existing documentary catalog through its longstanding distribution partners. The company is privately held by its managing directors, Dr. Uli Veith and Bernd Wilting; no venture capital, private equity, or parent-company ownership is recorded.

Name

Taglicht Media

Legal name

taglicht media Film- & Fernsehproduktion GmbH

Website

https://taglichtmedia.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Taglicht Media is a Cologne-based independent German documentary production company founded in 1996, producing ~50 hours/year of history, science, nature, and current affairs content for ARD, ZDF, ARTE, and international broadcasters. Production ceased in August 2024 and the company is in insolvency proceedings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Television Production

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Documentary production
• Television production
• History documentaries
• Nature documentaries
• Current affairs programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. TV Broadcasting Rights: Production and licensing of documentary content to public and private broadcasters. Programs broadcast through German public broadcasters (ARD, ZDF, ARTE) and international channels (Smithsonian Channel, PBS, Discovery, National Geographic, ORF, Servus TV, France 5, RAI).
2. Content Distribution: Distribution of completed productions via DVD/Blu-ray releases, streaming platforms (Welt24), and international program distributors albatross World Sales and Autentic.
3. International Co-productions: Co-production deals with international partners including ZDF/ARTE (German partner), Spring Films London, Gunpowder&Sky (Los Angeles/New York), and discovery+ for VOD rights.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Taglicht Media is a German independent production company that produces and licenses documentary films and television series covering history, science, natural history/wildlife, and current affairs. It produces roughly 50 hours of programming per year, delivers commissioned and co-produced content to broadcasters such as ARD, ZDF and ARTE, and licenses its catalog internationally via specialist distributors albatross World Sales and Autentic.

Product overview

Taglicht Media Film- & Fernsehproduktion GmbH is a German documentary and television production company founded in 1996 and based in Cologne. The company produces approximately 50 hours of documentary programs annually for the German and international market. Their portfolio includes standalone documentary films and multi-part documentary series across genres including History, Science, Natural History/Wildlife, and Current Affairs. Key productions include Nature documentaries (A Bee's Diary, Killer in the Caves, Wild Bees, Macro Worlds), History documentaries and series (Charlemagne, Jesse Owens, The Maginot-Line, Crime Scene: Antiquity/Middle Ages, Money Power History), Current Affairs documentaries (The Flood, BlackRock, Truth & Lies, Plan B), and Travel/Science series (River Cruises, Equus, Last Exit: Space). The company ceased production activities in August 2024 and continues to distribute its existing catalog through broadcast partners (ARD, ZDF, arte) and international distributors (albatross World Sales, Autentic, Smithsonian Channel, PBS, Discovery, National Geographic).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• A Bee's Diary (Tagebuch einer Biene) Natural-history documentary following the life of a honey bee over its 6-week lifespan, based on the latest scientific findings on bee behavior and colony dynamics; produced for broadcasters including Sky Nature and German public networks.
• The Flood (Die Nacht, als die Flut kam) Documentary reconstructing the July 14, 2021 Ahr Valley flood that killed 135 people, examining the connection to climate change; co-produced with ARTE.
• Money Power History (Die Macht der Superreichen) 6-part documentary series for ZDFinfo examining the influence of money on history through major figures of legendary wealth including the Medici, Rothschilds, Henry Ford, the Flicks, Aristoteles Onassis and Bill Gates.
• Truth & Lies (Lüge & Wahrheit) 6-part international co-production observing the ambivalent relationship between lies and truth throughout history, covering money, religion, war, conspiracy theories, opinion makers and scandals from antiquity to the present.
• Crime Scene: Middle Ages (Tatort Mittelalter) 6-part documentary series reopening criminal cases of the Middle Ages using modern forensic science, high-tech diagnostics, experimental archaeology and forensic procedures to solve historically mysterious cases.
• Crime Scene: Antiquity (Tatort Antike) 5-part documentary series investigating crimes of antiquity (murder, raids, arson, cannibalism, assassinations, high treason, terrorism) using modern forensics, CGI and experimental archaeology.
• Last Exit: Space Science documentary by Rudolph Herzog exploring whether humanity is destined to colonize space, featuring billionaires, governments, geneticists and psychologists working on space colonies as an alternative to Earth. Co-produced with Spring Films (London) and Gunpowder&Sky (Los Angeles/New York); discovery+ acquired world rights outside France and German-speaking countries.
• The Maginot-Line (Die Maginot-Linie) Historical documentary about the French defensive fortification system along the German-French border, examining its construction, significance and the trauma of the French defeat in 1940; co-produced with ARTE.
• BlackRock – The Unsettling Power of a Financial Investor Documentary investigating BlackRock, the world's largest financial investor managing over $6 trillion, examining its influence on global financial markets, corporations and politics.
• Terra NRW 4-part documentary series examining the infrastructure of North Rhine-Westphalia (power lines, water canals, telephone cables, railways) connecting 18 million people.
• Endgame for Europe? The European Union at a crossroads Documentary examining the upcoming European elections and the predicted shift to the right, analyzing changes in political positions during Ursula von der Leyen's term.
• Who Owns the World 4-part ZDFinfo series examining who determines the future of globalized markets in resources, land, energy and trade routes.
• History of Love 5-part documentary series explaining how love and sex have developed throughout human history, from when humans stopped living in trees to the present.
• River Cruises (Flusskreuzfahrten) Travel documentary series exploring European rivers, showcasing metropolises, castles, palaces, churches and monasteries built along waterways, featuring journeys from Potsdam to Prague, the Danube and other European rivers.
• Equus – The Story of the Horse Documentary following a German-Canadian film team on a two-year journey exploring the relationship between humans and horses, from nomadic cultures in the Altai Mountains to the Blackfoot Indians of North America.
• The Big Sleep (Tierisch müde) Documentary exploring how different animals sleep, from bats sleeping upside-down for 20 hours to elephants and giraffes sleeping only two hours a day.
• Plan B: Land für Alle Documentary examining land speculation in Germany and exploring socially and ecologically sustainable alternatives for land use and rural development.
• Charlemagne Feature-length drama-doc about the greatest emperor of the Middle Ages, following the footsteps of Roman Caesars; awarded 'Best Docudrama of the Year' at the Impact Media Festival 2014.
• Jesse Owens Emmy-award-winning US-German co-production about the black hero of the 1936 Olympic Games.
• File G Investigative documentary format focusing on dark chapters and scandals of Germany's history after 1945; awarded the prestigious Grimme Prize in 2015.
• Killer in the Caves Nature documentary about the looming extinction of many North American bat species; Emmy-nominated in 2014 for Outstanding Documentary.
• Macro Worlds Nature series exploring the parallel world of insects, examining predator-prey relationships, mating rituals, insect societies and their physiological limitations.
• Wild Bees Documentary revealing the world of wild bee species beyond honeybees and their role as pollinators.
• The Borderless Sky Documentary following photographers on a mission to capture the beauty of the night sky, addressing the loss of dark sky experiences due to light pollution.
• Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies Documentary examining propaganda throughout history, from cave drawings to social media; shortlisted for the FOCAL International Awards 2020 in 'Factual & Natural World Production'.
• Globalicious Culinary expedition documentary exploring the origins of four national foods that conquered the globe: hamburgers, pizza, falafel and sushi.
• The Euro Story Documentary examining the 20-year history of the Euro currency as Europe's most ambitious experiment in sovereignty pooling binding 19 countries together.
• King Without Kingdom Natural-history film about leap frogs, exploring their biology and behavior.
• Wildlife Mystery Series Sub-genre series of nature documentaries focusing on mysterious wildlife phenomena and extinction threats, including the Emmy-nominated 'Killer in the Caves' about North American bat populations.

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Spring FilmsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021London-based production company co-producing 'Last Exit: Space' with Taglicht Media
• Gunpowder&SkymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021Los Angeles/New York production company co-producing 'Last Exit: Space' with Taglicht Media
• discovery+coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2021US streaming platform acquiring world rights (outside France and German-speaking countries) for 'Last Exit: Space' for its VOD platform
• ARDcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor German public broadcaster and key production partner for Taglicht Media documentaries
• ZDFcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor German public broadcaster commissioning documentaries including ZDFinfo series 'Money Power History', 'Tatort Mittelalter', 'Truth & Lies'
• ARTEcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFranco-German cultural broadcaster co-producing major documentaries including 'Die Maginot-Linie', 'Die Nacht als die Flut kam', 'Last Exit: Space'
• National Geographic ChannelmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational broadcast partner for Taglicht Media nature and science documentaries
• Smithsonian ChannelmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational broadcast partner for science and nature documentary content
• Discovery ChannelmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational broadcast partner distributing Taglicht Media documentary productions
• PBSmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmerican public broadcaster broadcast partner for documentary content
• ORFmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustrian public broadcaster partner for German-speaking markets
• Servus TVmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustrian/Swiss broadcaster partner for documentary content
• France 5majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench public broadcaster partner
• RAImajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorItalian public broadcaster partner
• albatross World SalescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational program distributor handling worldwide sales of Taglicht Media productions
• AutenticcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal documentary distribution company representing Taglicht Media productions worldwide

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Studio Hamburg Production Group: One of Germany's largest film and TV production groups, with a broad portfolio including documentaries, scripted series, and entertainment. Larger and more diversified than Taglicht, but overlaps in factual content and broadcaster commissions.
• UFA: Bertelsmann-owned German production powerhouse producing scripted, unscripted, and factual content at scale. Operates in the same broadcaster ecosystem as Taglicht but with vastly greater scale, resources, and a broader content portfolio.

Direct peers

• Spring Films: London-based independent production company specializing in factual and documentary programming for UK and international broadcasters. Co-produced 'Last Exit: Space' with Taglicht, demonstrating direct operational comparability.
• Broadview TV: Cologne-based documentary production company producing premium factual programming for German and international broadcasters. Similar commissioning structure and genre focus to Taglicht Media.
• Gebrüder Beetz Filmproduktion: Berlin-based independent documentary and factual production company producing content for German and international broadcasters. Highly comparable to Taglicht in scale, genre focus (nature, history, current affairs), and broadcaster relationships.
• Polyphon Film- und Fernsehgesellschaft: Hamburg-based independent film and television production company producing documentaries and entertainment content. Comparable in operating model and broadcaster-driven revenue structure to Taglicht.
• Eikon Media: German independent documentary production company producing factual content for ARD, ZDF, ARTE, and international broadcasters. Closely comparable to Taglicht in commissioning model, genre mix, and target broadcasters.
• Spiegel TV: Hamburg-based TV production company affiliated with Der Spiegel, producing documentaries and factual programming for German broadcasters. Comparable in documentary focus and broadcaster partnerships.
• LOOKSfilm: Leipzig-based documentary production company with a strong focus on nature and science documentaries. Highly comparable to Taglicht's nature/science documentary work and international broadcaster relationships.

Others

• Autentic Distribution: Global documentary distribution company that represents Taglicht Media's catalog worldwide. Operates in the same value chain (documentary content distribution) but as a distribution partner rather than a producer.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/taglichtmedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/taglichtmedia
• Instagraminstagram.com/taglichtmedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/taglicht-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Taglicht Media