What Tower10 does

Tower10 KidsTV GmbH is an Austrian children's television and film production company headquartered in Vienna's first district, founded in 1995 under the creative direction of Thomas Brezina. The company produces violence-free educational and entertainment programming for children aged roughly 3-14, spanning knowledge formats (Knall Genial, Museum AHA, Das Wunder DU), magic (1000 Tricks), cooking (Schmatzo), animals (Tolle Tiere), puppet series (ABC Bär, Tolle Tiere), detective adventure (Tom Turbo, in production since 1993), magazine shows (Hallo OKIDOKI), and youth docusoap (Mega Moment). The technical core is a television production studio rather than a software platform; the most distinctive technical capability is motion-capture-based 3D animation used in 'Museum AHA' to drive the punk-mummy character Ramfetz, where a puppeteer's movements are tracked and transferred to an animated figure.

The company has produced 28 series and films containing 848 original characters and totaling 1.6 million broadcast minutes over its 30-year operating history. Tower10 operates as a B2B content producer rather than a direct-to-consumer business, generating revenue through commissioning and co-production agreements with public broadcasters. The primary commercial relationship is with ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation), which has been commissioning children's programming from Tower10 since 1995, and which serves as the distribution channel to Austrian audiences. ZDF (German Television) is the secondary co-production partner, extending reach into the larger German market through titles such as '1000 Tricks' (39 x 15-minute episodes produced for ORF in co-production with ZDF). Content is delivered on a format-by-format commissioned basis with no direct consumer pricing; broadcaster license fees are the underlying revenue mechanic.

The company is founder-led and privately held, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiaries. The operating geographies are Austria and Germany (DACH region), with no global footprint claim. Key dependencies are ORF as primary commissioning partner and Brezina's personal creative involvement as the throughline across most flagship properties, both of which are concentration risks for any acquirer or investor evaluating the business.

Name

Tower10

Legal name

Tower10 KidsTV GmbH

Website

https://tower10.tv

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tower10 KidsTV GmbH is a Vienna-based independent children's television and film production company founded in 1995, producing violence-free educational entertainment for ORF and ZDF across 28 series featuring 848 original characters under the creative direction of Thomas Brezina.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Television Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Live-Action Kids & Family Production (MPADABAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Children’s & Youth Educational Entertainment (Edutainment) (EDAGALAK)

Keywords

• Children's television production
• Educational TV series
• Kids content creation
• Animated series production
• Broadcast entertainment production

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Tower10 KidsTV GmbH produces television formats, series, and feature films for children, focusing on violence-free, age-appropriate programming that combines education with entertainment. The company creates content in collaboration with broadcasters ORF and ZDF, producing interactive shows spanning topics such as science, magic, cooking, animals, detective adventures, and knowledge quizzes, delivered under the creative direction of founder Thomas Brezina.

Product overview

Tower10 KidsTV is a children's television production company creating a portfolio of educational and entertainment programming. The company operates as a single production house producing multiple distinct series rather than a unified software platform. Their shows include knowledge formats like 'Knall Genial' and 'Museum AHA,' cooking programming such as 'Schmatzo,' puppet series like 'ABC Bär' and 'Tolle Tiere,' adventure detective series 'Tom Turbo,' magic shows '1000 Tricks,' and magazine formats 'Hallo OKIDOKI.' The company has produced 1.6 million minutes of content across 28 series and films featuring 848 characters since 1995 under Thomas Brezina's creative direction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tom Turbo Long-running interactive detective series featuring Thomas Brezina and the talking bicycle Tom Turbo, where junior detectives solve puzzles and crack secret codewords by answering five detective questions per episode. Targeted at children and produced since 1993 as a flagship cultural brand for Austrian and German audiences.
• Hallo OKIDOKI Weekend magazine show framing ORF's children's programming, hosted by hand puppet Kater Kurt alongside moderators, featuring trend tips, themed content, and interactive participation where children are encouraged to take part in games, contests, and self-made videos. Targeted at children and broadcast on ORF.
• Knall Genial Educational entertainment format hosted by Thomas Brezina featuring creative kitchen activities, crazy experiments, exciting trials, and expeditions, with knowledge packaged in songs. Targeted at children and families.
• Museum AHA Quiz show set in a fantastical museum where Thomas Brezina and animated punk mummy Ramfetz present five museum objects with stories, challenging young viewers to identify which three are true. Targeted at children and features motion-captured 3D animation.
• Das Wunder DU Children's educational show exploring the human body, hosted by children's surgeon and comedian Omar Sarsam along with moderator Melly Flicker, featuring a team of child questioners and guessers on a discovery journey. Targeted at children aged 3-14.
• 1000 Tricks Magic show introducing young audiences to the world of magic and illusion, featuring Melanie Flicker, Christoph Hirschler, Cosimo Hnilicka as Magic Max, and Tristan de Jong. 39 episodes produced at 15 minutes each, in coproduction with ZDF.
• Tolle Tiere Animal show featuring hand puppet Kater Kurt guiding young audiences through Tiergarten Schönbrunn zoo, with children acting as zookeepers and learning about animals, pet care, and respectful treatment of wildlife.
• ABC Bär Puppet series for preschoolers featuring the ABC Bear and friends traveling in a mobile treehouse, teaching alphabet, numbers 1-10, and basic English. Produced since 2016.
• Schmatzo - Kochen mit WOW Kids cooking show where chef Alexander Kumptner guides three teams of cooking kids in preparing themed dishes, emphasizing waste reduction and creative food presentation.
• Mega Moment Documentary series following the youth pop band Young Republic on their journey to their first major concert, covering dance coaching, styling, interviews, and music production. Targeted at youth audiences.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995Tower10 has been producing children's programming for ORF since 1995 under the creative direction of Thomas Brezina. ORF serves as the primary broadcaster and commissioning partner for Austrian market. Productions include Hallo OKIDOKI (weekend magazine show), Tom Turbo, ABC Bär, and Tolle Tiere. The partnership has produced over 28 series and 1.6 million broadcast minutes.
• ZDF (German Television)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for German market distribution. Productions include '1000 Tricks' (39 episodes x 15 minutes), produced in coproduction with ZDF. This partnership extends Tower10's reach beyond Austria into the larger German-speaking market.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Jim Henson Company: US-based creator-producer of puppet-led and character-driven children's programming (Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal). Directly comparable to Tower10's reliance on puppet characters such as Kater Kurt and ABC Bär for kids' programming.
• Studio 100: Belgian-headquartered, DACH-active children's entertainment producer and rights owner behind brands like Maya the Bee, Heidi, and Blinky Bill. Closest direct peer to Tower10 in producing and owning original kids' IP for broadcaster distribution across Europe.
• m4e AG: German producer and licensor of children's animated and live-action series (e.g., "Maya the Bee" German rights pre-Studio 100 consolidation). Operates in the same DACH broadcaster ecosystem as Tower10 with a comparable kids' content focus.
• Sesame Workshop: US-based nonprofit producer of educational children's television (Sesame Street), sharing Tower10's edutainment positioning, violence-free ethos, and broadcaster-funded production model. Comparable in combining curriculum-based learning with character-driven storytelling.

Others

• KiKA: Joint children's channel of ARD and ZDF that commissions and broadcasts children's programming in Germany. Comparable as a destination for kids' edutainment content, but functions as a buyer/platform rather than a producer; a potential commissioning counterparty for Tower10.

Broad incumbents

• WDR mediagroup: Commercial subsidiary of WDR (a major German public broadcaster) that produces and licenses children's and family content internationally (including "Die Sendung mit der Maus"). Overlaps with Tower10's edutainment children's production model within the ARD ecosystem.
• ZDF Studios: Production and worldwide distribution arm of German public broadcaster ZDF, a co-production partner of Tower10. Comparable as a producer of children's programming for broadcaster distribution, but operating at significantly larger scale and on a global rights basis.
• Mattel Television Studios: Television production arm of Mattel, owner of the HIT Entertainment library (Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam). Comparable as a producer-owner of globally distributed children's IP, and a competitor for broadcaster kids' slots and merchandising economics.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tower10
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tower10-kidstv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Tower10