eikon

What eikon does

eikon is an independent German film and television production company founded in 1960 by Robert Geisendörfer, headquartered in Berlin and operating across four additional offices in Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, and Stuttgart. The company is privately held through EIKON Media GmbH with a wholly-owned northern subsidiary (eikon nord GmbH) and reported to be founder-owned without external investors. eikon produces both fictional and documentary formats for web, TV, and cinema under a commissioned-production business model: projects are developed, financed via production fees, co-production shares, and regional/national public film-funding support, and delivered to German public-service broadcasters (ARD and its regional members NDR, SWR, BR, WDR, rbb, MDR; ZDF and 3sat; ARTE), private broadcasters (RTL, Sat.1), and digital platforms including funk/YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.

Its portfolio spans flagship crime fiction (Tatort, Polizeiruf 110, Der Dänemark-Krimi), political thriller (Das zweite Attentat), historical event films (Bach – Ein Weihnachtswunder, Katharina Luther), monothematic documentary reportage (Justice for RTL since 2013), feature documentaries on energy and food systems (Wasserstoff, Wir und das Tier), docudramas (Die Mutigen 56), talk formats (So gesehen – Talk am Sonntag), and digital-native online series (Der Fall, ARD Room Tour). Technology is conventional physical and digital film production — camera, editing, animation, sound design, post-production — with no proprietary software platform or AI/ML components disclosed; the company website is hosted on Webflow with delivery via Amazon CloudFront and Fastly CDN.

Revenue is generated through negotiated project fees from broadcaster commissions, co-production revenue shares with peer production houses and international partners (Deal Productions, Avriofilms), licensing fees, and supplementary funding from regional German media funds (nordmedia, MDM, FFF Bayern, MFG Baden-Württemberg). Pricing is project-by-project and not publicly disclosed. The company has accumulated more than twenty industry and trade awards including the Deutscher Filmpreis, Grimme-Preis, European Film Award, Deutscher Fernsehpreis, and the Robert Geisendörfer Preis; it has been led by Managing Directors Ernst Ludwig Ganzert (Berlin) and Christian Drewing (Stuttgart).

Name

eikon

Legal name

EIKON Media GmbH

Website

https://eikon-film.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commissioned TV and Cinema Productions: eikon develops and produces documentary and fictional formats commissioned by German public-service and private broadcasters (ARD, ZDF, RTL, ARTE, etc.) and cinema distributors. Revenue is generated through production fees, co-production shares, and licensing of finished works.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

eikon is an independent German production company that develops and produces fictional and documentary formats for television, cinema, and online platforms. Its core activity is creating commissioned content — including crime series, event feature films, documentary series, and short-form digital formats — on behalf of broadcasters and streaming platforms such as ARD, ZDF, 3sat, ARTE, RTL, Sat.1, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.

Product overview

eikon is an independent German film production company founded in 1960, operating at five locations (Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Stuttgart). The company produces both fictional and documentary formats for web, TV, and cinema. Its fictional portfolio includes crime series such as Tatort, Polizeiruf 110, Der Dänemark-Krimi, and Das zweite Attentat; feature films including Bach – Ein Weihnachtswunder and Katharina Luther; and talk shows like So gesehen – Talk am Sonntag. The documentary slate encompasses Justice (justice report series), Der Anschlag (docu-series), Wir und das Tier and Wasserstoff (documentary films), and Die Mutigen 56 (docudrama). For digital audiences, eikon produces online series including Der Fall and ARD Room Tour for funk/ARD. The company has received numerous awards including the German Filmpreis, Grimme Prize, and Robert Geisendörfer Prize.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tatort Long-running crime fiction series produced by eikon for ARD, with each episode delivering a self-contained investigation for the public-service broadcaster's Sunday prime-time slot.
• Polizeiruf 110 Long-running crime fiction series produced by eikon for ARD, complementing Tatort in the public-service broadcaster's crime programming lineup.
• Der Dänemark-Krimi Crime fiction series produced by eikon for ARD, with storylines set in the Danish-German border region.
• Das zweite Attentat Fiction series produced by eikon for ARD, built around a political thriller premise.
• Bach - Ein Weihnachtswunder Event feature film produced by eikon for ARD, centered on the figure of Johann Sebastian Bach.
• Katharina Luther Event feature film produced by eikon for ARD, dramatizing the life of Katharina von Bora, wife of Martin Luther.
• Justice Documentary series produced by eikon for ARD, examining themes of justice and the legal system.
• Der Anschlag Documentary series produced by eikon for ARD, focused on a notable attack event.
• Wir und das Tier Documentary feature film produced by eikon exploring human-animal relationships.
• Wasserstoff Documentary feature film produced by eikon examining the role of hydrogen in the energy transition.
• Die Mutigen 56 Docudrama produced by eikon for ARD, recounting the 1956 uprising in the GDR.
• So gesehen Talk show format produced by eikon for ARD, featuring in-depth guest interviews.
• Der Fall Online series produced by eikon for the funk/YouTube platform, targeting younger digital audiences.
• ARD Room Tour Online series produced by eikon for ARD's digital and YouTube channels, delivering short-form ARD-branded content.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Dänemark-Krimi pilot 'Rauhnächte' reached 6.6 million viewers with a market share of over 23%, making it one of the most successful new launches on the Thursday prime-time slot.

Named customers7 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

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• SWR (Südwestrundfunk)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing co-production partnership with SWR across multiple productions including Die Mutigen 56 (co-production with NDR and Radio Bremen), Wir und das Tier (co-production with BR), and Handwerkskunst documentary series. SWR co-commissions and co-produces eikon's documentary and docudrama productions.
• Filmakademie Baden-WürttembergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg for talent development, including the 'Der junge Dokumentarfilm' (The Young Documentary Film) initiative, producing debut documentaries by emerging filmmakers.
• ARD (Various Regional Broadcasters: NDR, WDR, BR, rbb, MDR)flagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary distribution partner. ARD and its regional members (NDR, WDR, BR, rbb, MDR) commission, co-produce, and broadcast eikon's productions across Germany, including flagship series Tatort, Polizeiruf 110, and documentaries.
• ZDF / 3satcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroadcast partner commissioning and airing eikon's documentary productions, including Der Anschlag (3sat).
• ARTE (European Culture Channel)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-production partner for documentary films. Wasserstoff – Revolution oder Illusion? and Wir und das Tier were co-produced with ARTE.
• RTL TelevisioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommissioning broadcaster for the long-running JUSTICE reportage series (since 2013) and other RTL productions.
• MDR (Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Katharina Luther (with ARD Degeto, BR, SWR) and other productions. Contributes editorial oversight and funding.
• Cross Media (Production Company)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner on Katharina Luther (with eikon München, Conradfilm, MDR, ARD Degeto, BR, SWR).
• Conradfilm (Production Company)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner on Katharina Luther alongside eikon München, Cross Media, and broadcasters.
• Deal ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational co-production partner for Das zweite Attentat (Political Thriller Series) alongside eikon Köln.
• AvriofilmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational co-production partner for Das zweite Attentat alongside eikon Köln and Deal Productions.
• NetflixminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational streaming platform distributing selected eikon productions.
• Amazon (Prime Video)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational streaming platform distributing selected eikon productions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bavaria Film: Munich-based major German production company with a long history of producing television films, series, and theatrical content for ARD, ZDF, and BR. Comparable to eikon in its multi-format approach and deep entrenchment with one regional public broadcaster (BR) and the broader ARD system.
• Studio Hamburg Production Group: Hamburg-based production company with strong NDR and ARD relationships, producing crime series, drama, and documentaries. Most directly comparable German independent producer in terms of public-broadcaster dependency, format mix, and regional-broadcaster co-production model.
• Letterbox Filmproduktion: Hamburg-based independent producer of high-end German television films, series, and theatrical features, including Tatort and other ARD-commissioned projects. Comparable mid-sized German independent with similar broadcaster-driven production model.
• Zieglerfilm (Ziegler Film): Berlin and Cologne-based independent production company with a long history of producing TV movies, series, and Tatort episodes for ARD. Closely comparable to eikon in size, business model, and reliance on ARD public-broadcaster commissions.
• Wiedemann & Berg Film: Munich-based independent production company behind award-winning German theatrical films and high-end series such as Dark for Netflix. Directly comparable as a mid-sized German independent producer operating across cinema, television, and streaming.
• X Filme Creative Pool: Berlin-based independent German production company producing theatrical features, TV films, and series with strong public-broadcaster and festival pedigree. Highly comparable to eikon in scale, format mix, and German arthouse-to-broadcaster positioning.

Emerging players

• Mina TV (Polyphon): Hamburg-based production company within the Studio Hamburg group producing scripted series and TV movies for German broadcasters. Comparable as a German independent competing in similar ARD and ZDF slots, though operating as a subsidiary of a larger group.

Broad incumbents

• UFA GmbH (UFA Serial Drama): Germany's largest film and TV production company, part of RTL Group / Bertelsmann. UFA produces Tatort, Polizeiruf 110, and many of the same German prime-time franchises eikon works on, competing head-to-head for the same ARD, ZDF, and RTL commissions at much greater scale.
• Constantin Film: Major Munich-based German production and distribution company producing theatrical films, TV series, and streaming content, including Tatort productions. Competes with eikon for German-language content budgets while also operating distribution and licensing businesses.
• Bavaria Fiction (Bavaria Film subsidiary): German scripted production subsidiary of Bavaria Film, producing high-end series and event TV for ARD, ZDF, and international streamers such as The Billion Dollar Code and Das Boot. Direct competitor to eikon for major scripted commissions and event productions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eikon-media
• Instagraminstagram.com/eikonfilm?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 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 eikon