Rowboat Film and Television Production

What Rowboat Film and Television Production does

Rowboat Film- und Fernsehproduktion GmbH is a Cologne-based independent television and film production company founded in 2011. It develops and produces fictional content — TV movies, mini-series, and ongoing crime series — primarily for German-language public and private broadcasters including ZDF, ORF, ARD Degeto, SAT.1, and MDR. The company's catalog is anchored by the long-running ZDF/ORF co-production "Murder by the Lake" (Die Toten vom Bodensee), which has reached 29+ episodes, alongside format properties such as "Professor T." and a steady output of standalone TV movies spanning crime, medical, family, and romance genres.

The production model is B2B commissioned work secured through direct relationships with broadcaster commissioning editors; Rowboat manages the full production lifecycle from development through post-production and delivery. Productions are typically co-financed with broadcasters and supported by regional Austrian funding bodies such as Fernsehfonds Austria and Land Vorarlberg, with premieres at festivals including Filmfest Hamburg and Film Festival Cologne serving as both marketing moments and critical-validation points. The company is privately held with no disclosed external investors or parent entity, and operates with a small senior team led by CEO and Producer Sam Davis.

Rowboat's market position rests on its award pedigree — including an International Emmy Award (2013) for "A Day for a Miracle," German Television Awards, and a Seoul International Drama Award (2022) — and on its ability to deliver primetime ratings wins for broadcasters. Commercial terms are not publicly disclosed, as production budgets and license fees are negotiated per project with each commissioning broadcaster.

Name

Rowboat Film and Television Production

Legal name

Rowboat Film- und Fernsehproduktion GmbH

Website

https://rowboat.tv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rowboat Film and Television Production is a Cologne-based independent production company developing TV movies, mini-series, and ongoing crime series — most notably "Murder by the Lake" — for German-language broadcasters ZDF, ORF, ARD Degeto, SAT.1, and MDR.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Television Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Scripted TV Series Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Live-Action TV Movies, Miniseries & Specials Production (MPADABAD)

Keywords

• Television production services
• Drama series production
• TV movie production
• Crime series production
• Broadcast co-production

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. TV Production / Commissioned Production: Rowboat produces TV movies, mini-series, and ongoing series for German and Austrian broadcasters. Revenue comes from production fees, co-production deals, and potentially backend participation from successful productions. Key clients include ZDF, ORF, ARD Degeto, SAT.1, and MDR.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Rowboat Film and Television Production develops and produces fictional content for public and private television stations. The company produces TV movies, mini-series, and ongoing crime/drama series primarily for German-language broadcasters ZDF, ORF, ARD Degeto, SAT.1, and MDR, handling the full production lifecycle from development through post-production and delivery. Its flagship output is the long-running crime series "Murder by the Lake" (Die Toten vom Bodensee), with 29+ films co-produced for ZDF and ORF.

Product overview

Rowboat Film- und Fernsehproduktion GmbH is a German television and film production company that produces TV movies, mini-series, and ongoing series primarily for German-language broadcasters (ZDF, ORF, ARD, SAT.1). Their portfolio includes the long-running crime series "Murder by the Lake" with 29+ films, the "Professor T." series, and numerous standalone TV movies spanning genres including medical dramas, romantic comedies, thrillers, and family dramas. The company has achieved international recognition, winning an International Emmy Award and multiple German television awards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Murder by the Lake (Die Toten vom Bodensee) A long-running German-Austrian crime series featuring detectives investigating murders in the Lake Constance region, with recurring investigators played by Matthias Koeberlin and Nora von Waldstätten/Alina Fritsch. Produced as a ZDF/ORF co-production.
• Professor T. A crime series based on the Flemish series of the same name, following criminology professor Jasper Thalheim (Matthias Matschke) who advises the Cologne homicide squad with his analytical mind despite his social deficits and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
• A Day for a Miracle (Das Wunder von Kärnten) A medical drama about a cardiologist who attempts a miraculous resuscitation of a drowned child, based on a true story. Won the International Emmy Award 2013 for TV Movie/Mini-Series.
• Faster Than Fear (Schneller als die Angst) A six-episode thriller mini-series about a police tracker hunting a sadistic murderer who escaped from a psychiatric institution. Won two German Television Awards (Best Actress, Best Editing Fiction) in 2022.
• Take Me Home (Bring mich nach Hause) A drama about two sisters with conflicting views on end-of-life decisions for their comatose mother. Won Best TV Movie at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2022.
• Skin and Bones (Aus Haut und Knochen) A drama about a family's struggle with their daughter's anorexia, exploring the depths of a seemingly perfect family's battle against the eating disorder. Produced for SAT.1.
• Murder Squared (Mord in der Familie)

Named customers5 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

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

• Seoul International Drama AwardsminorOthers · 23 September 2022'Take Me Home' won Best TV-Movie award at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2022.
• Graf FilmproductioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian co-production partner for 'Murder by the Lake' series and other ORF/ZDF co-productions. Klaus Graf served as co-producer on 'A Day for a Miracle'.
• ORFcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustrian public broadcaster - primary co-production partner for Austrian-set productions including 'Murder by the Lake' series, 'A Day for a Miracle', and 'The End of Lies'.
• ZDFcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman public broadcaster - primary commissioning partner for TV movies, mini-series, and ongoing series including 'Murder by the Lake', 'Professor T.', and 'Take Me Home'.
• ARD DegetocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman regional broadcaster network - commissioning partner for 'Faster Than Fear', 'Wedding in Rome', and other productions.
• SAT.1majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman private broadcaster - commissioned TV movies including 'Skin and Bones' and 'Because I Love You'.
• MDRmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman regional broadcaster (Middle Germany) - commissioned 'The End of Lies' and other productions.
• Fernsehfonds AustriaminorOthersAustrian television funding body providing support for 'Murder by the Lake' productions.
• Land VorarlbergminorOthersAustrian regional government providing production support for 'Murder by the Lake' filmed in Vorarlberg region.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Beta Film: German distribution and co-production company with deep relationships across European broadcasters and streaming platforms. Comparable to Rowboat in scripted content focus but with a global distribution and co-financing model rather than direct production.
• Constantin Film: Major German film and TV production and distribution company producing theatrical features and TV content. Industry overlap with Rowboat in scripted TV production for German broadcasters, but operating at much larger scale across film, TV, and distribution.
• Bavaria Film: Major German film and TV production company and studio operator, producing scripted content and operating production facilities. Comparable industry overlap with Rowboat but at substantially larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Studio Hamburg: Large Hamburg-based German production and distribution group producing scripted and non-scripted TV content. Overlapping with Rowboat in German broadcaster commissions and Kim Fatheuer's previous documentary licensing role, but at significantly greater scale and scope.

Direct peers

• UFA Fiction: UFA Fiction is the leading German scripted TV production company (Tatort, Dark, Deutschland 83). Directly comparable to Rowboat as a German-language scripted TV production house serving major public and private broadcasters, though at significantly larger scale.
• Polyphon Film- und Fernsehgesellschaft: Hamburg-based German TV production company producing scripted drama and series for ZDF, ARD, and other broadcasters. Direct comparable to Rowboat in scale, genre focus, and broadcaster relationships in the German linear-TV production market.
• Zieglerfilm: Berlin-based German TV and film production company producing scripted content for major German broadcasters. Comparable to Rowboat as a mid-sized German scripted-TV production specialist serving public broadcaster commissions.
• Letterbox Filmproduktion: Cologne-based German TV production company producing scripted drama and series for ARD, ZDF, and other broadcasters. Direct geographic and operational peer to Rowboat, with similar size, genre focus, and broadcaster client base.
• Wiedemann & Berg Film: German production company behind Dark and other high-end scripted series. Closely comparable to Rowboat in producing premium scripted content for both German broadcasters and global streaming platforms, representing the high-end of the same peer set.
• ndF: neue deutsche Filmgesellschaft: Berlin-based German production company producing scripted TV movies and series for German public broadcasters. Closely comparable to Rowboat in producing one-off TV movies and limited series for ZDF/ARD commissioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Rowboat.tv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rowboat-film--und-fernsehproduktion-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Rowboat Film and Television Production