Døvefilm

What Døvefilm does

Døvefilm is a Danish self-governing media institution founded in 1963 that produces television programming in Danish sign language for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community in Denmark. Operating under the supervision of the Ministry of Social and Housing Affairs, the organization delivers a weekly magazine program "Udsyn" on DR2 (Saturdays at 12:00), a daily news program "TegnNyt" co-produced with DR, and operates the Tegnsprogskanalen (Sign Language Channel on channel 98) which broadcasts interpreted news from DR and TV2 daily between 17:00 and 21:00. The core product portfolio additionally includes original documentary, lifestyle, and entertainment series such as Kærlighed ved første blik, Jeg husker det, Vind eller Forsvind, and Petra & Henrik, plus a multi-decade content archive hosted at arkiv.deaftv.dk.

The organization is structured around four operational departments (Udsyn/Editorial, Aktualitet/Current Affairs, SoMe & Communication, and Technical) staffed by approximately 20 permanent employees including deaf hosts, journalists, editors, and technical staff, supported by a seven-member board appointed across Socialstyrelsen, DR, and Danske Døves Landsforbund. Its headquarters on Amager in Copenhagen incorporates DeafSpace-inspired design elements to support visual-first workflows.

Døvefilm's business model is that of a publicly funded institution: over half of its budget is provided by the Danish state via the national finance law, with the remainder derived from co-production and interpretation services supplied to public service broadcasters DR and TV2, both of which carry statutory obligations to provide sign language interpretation of main news broadcasts. The organization holds no venture capital or private equity ownership, has no subsidiaries, and does not charge end consumers, functioning instead as Denmark's designated public service broadcaster for the sign language community.

Name

Døvefilm

Legal name

Døvefilm

Website

https://deaftv.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Døvefilm is a Danish self-governing public service media institution, founded in 1963, that produces television programming in Danish sign language for the country's deaf and hard-of-hearing community, including weekly magazine show Udsyn, daily news TegnNyt, and the Tegnsprogskanalen channel, primarily funded by the Danish state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Service Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Translation and Interpretation Services (541930)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Accessible Media Production (Alt Formats, Captioning, Audio Description) (EDALAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Note-Taking, Interpreting & Communication Access Services (EDALAGAD), Local Translator/Repeater & Low-Power Stations (LPTV, Translators, Fill-In) (MPABACAM), Special Education & Accessibility-Optimized Media (UDL, AAC, Captioning) (EDAGALAH)

Keywords

• Sign language television
• Public service broadcasting
• Deaf media production
• Sign language interpretation
• Documentary series production

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Over half of Døvefilm's budget is covered by state funding through the national finance law. Supervised by the Ministry of Social and Housing Affairs. Follows state rules for agreements and accounting.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Døvefilm produces and broadcasts television programming in Danish sign language for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community in Denmark. Its core offerings include the weekly magazine program 'Udsyn' on DR2, daily news 'TegnNyt' in collaboration with DR, the dedicated 'Tegnsprogskanalen' (Sign Language Channel) on channel 98, sign-language interpretation services for mainstream TV content, and a portfolio of documentary and lifestyle series distributed via broadcast, on-demand archive, and social media.

Product overview

Døvefilm is a self-governing institution producing Danish sign language television programming. The core offerings include: the weekly magazine program 'Udsyn' broadcast on DR2, daily news 'TegnNyt' produced with DR, sign language interpreted news via the 'Tegnsprogskanalen' (Sign Language Channel) on channel 98, and professional sign language interpretation services for both live and pre-produced TV content. The portfolio includes diverse documentary, entertainment, and lifestyle series such as 'Kærlighed ved første blik', 'Jeg husker det', 'Vind eller Forsvind', 'Petra & Henrik', 'Florian & Mads', and 'Treetop House'. Døvefilm also maintains a comprehensive archive of programming available at arkiv.deaftv.dk. Founded in 1963, the institution operates as a public service media provider for Denmark's deaf community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Udsyn: Weekly sign language magazine program broadcast on DR2 every Saturday at 12:00, covering news and stories from the deaf community.
• Tegnsprogskanalen
• TegnNyt

Products and services

• Udsyn A weekly sign-language magazine program broadcast on DR2 every Saturday at 12:00, covering news, culture, and events in the deaf community. Produced entirely in Danish sign language for the Danish deaf and hard-of-hearing audience.
• TegnNyt Daily news program produced by Døvefilm in collaboration with DR, featuring news stories from Denmark and abroad plus news from the deaf community. Available on weekdays on the Sign Language Channel and DR's website.
• Tegnsprogskanalen (Sign Language Channel) A dedicated television channel (channel 98) broadcasting sign-language interpreted news from DR and TV2 daily between 17:00 and 21:00, providing deaf viewers access to mainstream news programming on antenna-TV and cable TV.
• 21 Søndag DR's current affairs news magazine with critical investigative journalism, political debates, and reports, sign-language mediated for the deaf community. Available Monday evenings at 19:30 on the Sign Language Channel.
• Sign Language Interpretation Services Professional sign-language interpretation services for TV programs, both live broadcasts and pre-produced content. Døvefilm provides interpretation of news programs and magazine shows for DR and TV2 to fulfill public service accessibility obligations.
• Sign Language Archive An extensive archive of TV programs from 1993–2010 available on Døvefilm's dedicated archive website, plus a broader collection of more than 100 different works submitted to the State Archives for preservation. Provides on-demand access to historical sign-language programming.
• Vind eller Forsvind An entertainment competition series where participants compete for a main prize of 8,000 kr, featuring various challenges over multiple episodes. Produced for the Udsyn platform and Døvefilm audience.
• Kærlighed ved første blik A documentary series following couples sharing their love stories, exploring relationships within the deaf community.
• Jeg husker det A documentary series where five men in their 50s to late 70s share stories from their childhood and upbringing within the deaf community.
• Florian & Mads A series featuring Florian and Mads discussing various topics related to deaf culture and international deaf events.
• Treetop House An international interview series where Swedish host Erik Akervall meets guests sharing their life stories and experiences. Available both with and without sign-language interpretation.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Danske Døves Landsforbund (DDL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1963Founding organization that established Døvefilm in 1963. DDL appoints three members to Døvefilm's board. Døvefilm was created to give deaf people in Denmark the best opportunities to participate in society and public debate on Danish sign language.
• DR (Danmarks Radio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDR appoints one member to Døvefilm's board. DR provides studio and technical facilities for news production. DR and TV2 have public service obligations requiring sign language interpretation of main news broadcasts. Døvefilm supplies interpreted news content to DR's platforms.
• TV2 DanmarkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTV2 has public service obligations requiring sign language interpretation of main news broadcasts. Døvefilm supplies interpreted news content to TV2's platforms as part of the Tegnsprogskanalen service.
• Social- og Boligministeriet (Ministry of Social and Housing Affairs)coreOthersThe Ministry exercises supervisory oversight over Døvefilm. Over half of Døvefilm's budget is covered by state funding through the national finance law.
• Socialstyrelsen (Social Agency)coreOthersAppoints the board of Døvefilm. Board composition includes members appointed by Socialstyrelsen, DR, and Danske Døves Landsforbund.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SBS Australia: SBS in Australia delivers Auslan-interpreted news programming and dedicated signed content, functioning as a public-broadcaster-driven counterpart to Døvefilm within a multilingual accessibility mandate.
• BBC (BSL Zone): The BBC operates the BSL Zone, a British Sign Language signed-content portal on BBC iPlayer, and provides interpreted news content. As a much larger public broadcaster with broader programming obligations, it offers overlap in interpreted content and signed programming.
• NHK (Japan): Japan's NHK provides daily Japanese Sign Language news broadcasts and signed programming under public-service obligations, structurally similar to Døvefilm's role in Denmark as the sign-language arm of the national public broadcaster ecosystem.
• France Télévisions (LSF): France Télévisions delivers sign-language (LSF) interpretation of news via France 3 and produces original signed programming, comparable in function to Døvefilm's Tegnsprogskanalen and Udsyn but embedded within a much larger national broadcaster.

Direct peers

• Phoenix TV (Irish Sign Language): Phoenix TV is a small, dedicated Irish Sign Language broadcasting service producing original signed programming — directly comparable to Døvefilm as a niche, community-anchored sign-language media organization in a small European country.
• NRK Tegnspråk: Norwegian public broadcaster NRK operates a dedicated sign-language news and programming service (NRK Tegnspråk), the closest functional analogue to Døvefilm's Udsyn and Tegnsprogskanalen within the Nordic public-service model.
• SVT Nyheter på teckenspråk: Swedish public broadcaster SVT produces daily sign-language news (SVT Nyheter på teckenspråk) and selected interpreted programming, directly mirroring Døvefilm's news-interpretation and original sign-language production model in a neighboring Nordic market.

Others

• CFD (Center for Døve): Danish deaf-services organization with overlapping community and advisory functions; relevant peer given that a board member (Majbritt Frisk Andersen) is employed there, illustrating the tight Danish deaf-community ecosystem Døvefilm operates within.
• Danske Døves Landsforbund (DDL): Founding organization of Døvefilm and continuing community stakeholder with board appointment rights. As the national Danish Deaf Association, DDL is the closest community/governance peer and shapes Døvefilm's mandate and accountability.

Emerging players

• Hands On Productions: An independent deaf-led production house producing signed and accessible content, comparable to Døvefilm's original-content production capabilities but operating outside the public-service broadcaster model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dvefilm
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@dvefilmtv-produktion6126/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/deaftv.dk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/d-vefilm
• Instagraminstagram.com/dovefilm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 Døvefilm