UFA Fiction

What UFA Fiction does

UFA Fiction is the fictional production division of UFA GmbH, a privately held German production company owned by Bertelsmann that traces its origins to Universum Film AG, founded in 1917. Headquartered in Babelsberg (Potsdam), UFA operates a multi-division portfolio covering scripted drama (UFA Fiction), entertainment shows and factual programming (UFA Show & Factual, including DSDS in its 23rd season), daily serial drama (UFA Serial Drama, producing Gute Zeiten schlechte Zeiten for RTL), documentary (UFA Documentary), production services and feature film (UFA Mitte GmbH, producing SOKO Leipzig and Neues Land), and gaming content (UFA Good Games). The UFA Academy provides talent development, and the company's subsidiary structure is wholly owned within the Bertelsmann group.

UFA's underlying production capability spans more than 6,500 hours of programming per year across six specialized divisions, reaching approximately 64.5 million viewers in 2024 across 21 broadcasters and streaming platforms. Core production output includes daily serials, scripted series, TV movies, competition shows, documentaries, and feature films, with recent and current commissions from ZDF (Die Kobra von Wingen, Ku'damm series), RTL (GZSZ, DSDS), Prime Video (Holey Moley Minigolf Extreme), and Warner Bros. (Emil und die Detektive). The technology stack is conventional broadcast and film production infrastructure; no proprietary AI, public APIs, or software products are disclosed.

UFA's business model is B2B professional services: revenue is generated by producing commissioned content for German public and private broadcasters and international streaming platforms under non-publicly-disclosed production contracts. Go-to-market is event-driven and relationship-based, anchored by long-running franchises and direct enterprise sales to a small set of major commissioning clients. Customer concentration is moderate, with ZDF and RTL representing the anchor relationships and Prime Video and Warner Bros. providing international diversification. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, consistent with bespoke production deal economics.

Name

UFA Fiction

Legal name

UFA GmbH

Website

https://ufa.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

UFA Fiction is a German fictional TV and film production division within Bertelsmann-owned UFA GmbH, producing scripted series, daily serials, films, and shows for broadcasters and streamers including ZDF, RTL, Prime Video, and Warner Bros.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Television and Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Unscripted/Reality TV Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAC), Reality & Factual Entertainment (Unscripted) (MPADADAO), Feature-Length Documentaries (MPADADAA)

Keywords

• Television production services
• Fiction content production
• TV series development
• Serial drama production
• Documentary production

Headquarters

HQ city

Potsdam

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. TV and Film Production Services: UFA Fiction generates revenue by producing TV movies, series, documentaries, and shows for German and international broadcasters and streaming platforms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UFA Fiction produces commissioned television and film content for German broadcasters such as ZDF and RTL, and international streaming platforms such as Prime Video. The company's portfolio spans TV movies, scripted series, daily serial dramas, entertainment shows, competition formats, documentaries, and feature films, delivered through six specialized production divisions totaling over 6,500 hours of programming annually.

Product overview

UFA Fiction operates as a comprehensive television and film production company organized under a multi-unit portfolio structure. The company is structured into specialized divisions: UFA FICTION handles scripted dramatic content including TV movies, series, and TV events; UFA SHOW & FACTUAL produces entertainment shows, competition formats, and factual programming; UFA SERIAL DRAMA creates daily soap operas; UFA DOCUMENTARY focuses on documentary and docutainment content; UFA MITTE GmbH produces series and films including crime dramas like SOKO Leipzig; and UFA GOOD GAMES extends the brand into gaming content. The company also operates the UFA Academy for talent development. Notable productions include daily series 'Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten', crime series 'SOKO Leipzig', competition show 'DSDS' in its 23rd season, Prime Video original 'Holey Moley Minigolf Extreme', films 'Neues Land' and 'Emil und die Detektive', and the comedy 'Die Kobra von Wingen' for ZDF. UFA reaches approximately 64.5 million viewers annually across 21 broadcasters and streaming platforms, producing over 6,500 hours of programming per year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UFA Fiction: Fictional productions including TV movies, series, and TV events
• UFA Show & Factual
• UFA Serial Drama
• UFA Documentary
• UFA Mitte GmbH
• UFA Good Games

Products and services

• UFA FICTION production division The fiction production division responsible for TV movies, series, TV events, and high-quality dramatic programming including 'Ku'damm 56' and 'Emil und die Detektive', serving German broadcasters and streaming platforms.
• UFA SHOW & FACTUAL production division Production division for entertainment shows, competition formats, and factual programming, producing shows like 'DSDS' (Deutschland sucht den Superstar) and 'Wer weiß denn sowas?' for German broadcasters and streaming platforms.
• UFA SERIAL DRAMA production division Division responsible for Germany's most popular daily series, including 'Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten' airing on RTL.
• UFA DOCUMENTARY production division Documentary production division creating emotional docutainment and factual programming under the UFA Fiction umbrella.
• UFA MITTE GmbH production division Production company unit producing series like 'SOKO Leipzig' and films including 'Neues Land'. Part of the broader UFA group.
• UFA GOOD GAMES production division Gaming and interactive content division under the UFA umbrella, expanding the company's reach into digital entertainment.
• UFA Academy Training and professional development program for aspiring film and television professionals, part of UFA's career offerings.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RTLcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRTL is a primary broadcast partner for UFA productions including daily serial dramas and reality shows like DSDS.
• ZDFcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorZDF is a key broadcast partner for UFA Fiction productions including comedies and dramatic series.
• Prime VideocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrime Video distributes UFA productions internationally through streaming, including competition shows like HOLEY MOLEY MINIGOLF EXTREME.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fremantle: Sister Bertelsmann subsidiary and the world's largest global production company, producing drama, entertainment, and factual content in 25+ countries. Directly comparable to UFA as a peer Bertelsmann-owned scripted/factual production group, and a primary competitor for European streaming commissions.
• All3Media: Leading UK-headquartered independent television production group with deep scripted and unscripted production capabilities across the US, UK, and Europe. Comparable to UFA in business model, scale, and customer base of major broadcasters and streamers.
• ZDF Studios: Distribution and co-production arm of German public broadcaster ZDF, producing and licensing scripted, factual, and documentary content. Comparable to UFA in the German production ecosystem and a direct counterparty on ZDF-commissioned work.
• Banijay (Endemol Shine Group): Global production powerhouse and the largest independent content producer in the world, operating in 22 countries. Comparable to UFA across scripted drama, reality, and factual entertainment, and a primary global competitor for international format rights and European commissions.

Regional players

• Constantin Film: Major German film and series producer, publicly listed and headquartered in Munich. Comparable to UFA in feature film and scripted series production, with overlapping talent and broadcaster relationships in the German market.
• Beta Film: Munich-based distributor and co-producer of high-end European drama and documentary content. Comparable to UFA in the German production ecosystem and as a key European co-production partner and rights licensor for international broadcasters and streamers.
• Studio Hamburg: Major German production group producing film, series, and digital content from its Hamburg base. Comparable to UFA as a domestic German production peer competing for the same broadcaster commissions and local talent pool.

Broad incumbents

• ITV Studios: Global production and distribution arm of ITV plc, producing scripted, entertainment, and factual programming worldwide. Comparable to UFA in content breadth and broadcaster ownership dynamics, and a leading competitor for European drama commissions.
• Sony Pictures Television: Global television production and distribution business of Sony Pictures, producing scripted, unscripted, and formats content worldwide. Comparable to UFA at the international level as a competitor for European drama commissions and global format sales.
• Warner Bros. Television Studios: Global scripted television production arm of Warner Bros. Discovery, producing premium drama and comedy. Comparable to UFA on the scripted drama side and already a co-production partner (e.g., 'Emil und die Detektive'), making it both collaborator and competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UfaFiction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ufa-film-&-tv-produktions-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/ufa_production/?hl=de
• Xx.com/ufafiction

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 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 UFA Fiction