Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung

What Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung does

Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung (FBW) is a German government cultural institution founded in 1951, headquartered at Schloss Biebrich in Wiesbaden. It operates as an Upper State Authority (Obere Landesbeh\u00f6rde) jointly established by all 16 German federal states via a Verwaltungsvereinbarung (administrative agreement), under the supervisory authority of the Hessian Ministry for Science and Art (Hessisches Ministerium f\u00fcr Wissenschaft und Kunst). FBW provides independent film quality evaluation through rotating 5-member expert juries drawn from a pool of 85 specialists nominated by the states; successful evaluations award the predicates 'wertvoll' (valuable) or 'besonders wertvoll' (especially valuable), which carry tax benefits under German state legislation and serve as quality signals in state film funding decisions.

The organization's core product is the FBW-Pr\u00e4dikatsbewertung film evaluation, delivered via a digital submission platform and in-person jury screenings on a KINOTON DCP30SXII projector (2K, Dolby 7.1 audio) on a 15m\u00b2 screen. Supporting offerings include the public Filmdatenbank (7,875+ rated films across features, documentaries, short films, children's films, and home entertainment), the Jugend Filmjury youth evaluation program, Filmwecker email alerts (powered by Kino-Zeit), downloadable FBW-Siegel seals, physical sticker sales, Pr\u00e4dikats\u00fcbertragung (rating transfers to other distribution formats for €200), FBW International translations in English and French, and printed publications dating back to 1981. Pricing is per-minute of runtime at €22.47 standard / €20.55 reduced (student, children's, documentary, state-funded), with a €120 minimum and €3,000 maximum. GTM is sales-led B2B, primarily via direct submission and an industry newsletter/press network.

FBW operates with a core team of approximately five staff (Director Bettina Buchler, Deputy Director Rosetta Braun, plus technology, youth jury, and press roles) and is self-financing through evaluation fees. Distribution channels include direct film submission services, multi-format newsletters, dpa press wire distribution reaching 1,400+ journalists per release, partner portals (Mediabiz.de, Kinofenster.de, Kino.de, filmportal.de), and social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X). In 2025, FBW announced that it will cease operations effective December 31, 2025, citing difficult conditions in the German film and media industry and the particular pressures on a supra-state cultural institution.

Name

Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung

Legal name

Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung

Website

https://fbw-filmbewertung.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung (FBW) is a German government cultural institution jointly established by all 16 federal states in 1951. It provides independent expert film quality evaluations awarding 'wertvoll' and 'besonders wertvoll' predicates. Operations will cease December 31, 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Rating and Media Evaluation Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Versioning & Mastering (IMF, Mezzanine, Textless, Deliverables) (MPAHAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conformity Assessment, Testing, Inspection & Certification Cooperation (BPADANAD)

Keywords

• Film rating services
• Media evaluation
• Quality seals
• Independent jury review
• Film database

Headquarters

HQ city

Wiesbaden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Film Evaluation Fees: Fees charged per minute of film runtime for jury evaluation. Standard rate: 22.47€ per minute with 120€ minimum and 3000€ maximum. Reduced rate of 20.55€ per minute applies to student productions, children's films, documentaries, and state-funded films.
2. Sticker Sales: Sale of physical FBW seal stickers for use on film media: 1-10 stickers at 1.00€ each, 11-50 at 0.75€ each, 51-200 at 0.50€ each, 201+ upon request.
3. Prädikatsübertragung (Rating Transfer): One-time fee of 200€ for transferring existing ratings to other distribution formats (DVD, VOD, etc.).
4. Publications: Sale of historical publications cataloging rated films including yearbooks, compilations of 'besonders wertvoll' films, and special collections dating back to 1981. Prices range from 3.25€ to 14.25€.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung (FBW) is a German government cultural institution that evaluates films through independent expert juries of 5 members and awards the quality predicates 'wertvoll' (valuable) or 'besonders wertvoll' (highly valuable). The evaluation service enables tax benefits for distributors and exhibitors across German states and provides marketing advantages via FBW quality seals. Supporting offerings include downloadable seal logos, physical stickers, PDF film recommendations, a film database of 7,875+ titles, and a youth film jury program.

Product overview

Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung (FBW) operates as a German government film rating agency that evaluates cinematic productions through independent expert juries and awards quality predicates. The core offering consists of the FBW-Prädikatsbewertung service, which awards 'wertvoll' (valuable) or 'besonders wertvoll' (especially valuable) ratings based on artistic, documentary, or film-historical merit. Supporting products include the downloadable FBW-Siegel (quality seals) in multiple formats, FBW-Filmempfehlung PDF recommendations for cinema and home entertainment marketing, and the Filmwecker alert service. Additional offerings encompass the Jugend Filmjury youth evaluation program, Prädikatsübertragung for extending ratings to home video formats, FBW International for multilingual translations, physical FBW-Aufkleber stickers, and FBW-Publikationen printed booklets. The organization maintains a searchable Filmdatenbank of over 7,875 rated films and provides comprehensive FBW-Filmempfehlung mit Gütesiegel promotion packages for awarded films.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jugend Filmjury: A youth film jury project operated by the FBW, allowing young people to review and rate films.

Products and services

• FBW-Prädikatsbewertung (Film Quality Evaluation Service) Independent expert jury evaluation of films awarding the 'wertvoll' (valuable) or 'besonders wertvoll' (especially valuable) predicates based on artistic, documentary, or film-historical merit. Available to producers and distributors for a per-minute fee, enabling tax benefits in German states.
• FBW-Siegel (Quality Seals and Logos)

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,400 journalist accesses per press release
• +1 more outcomes

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

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• German States (16 Bundesländer)coreOthersFBW is jointly established by all 16 German states as a joint cultural institution. States include Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, and Thüringen.
• Hessian Ministry for Science and ArtcoreOthersThe Hessian Ministry für Wissenschaft und Kunst (Ministry of Science and Art) holds supervisory authority over FBW as its superior state authority.
• Kino-ZeitcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKino-Zeit provides the Filmwecker (film alarm) service integrated into FBW website, sending email notifications to users when rated films screen in their area. FBW receives service infrastructure; Kino-Zeit gains exposure to quality film audience.
• dpa (Deutsche Presse-Agentur)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerFBW distributes press releases through dpa-news service, reaching 1,400 journalists per release for films with theatrical release, providing free PR amplification.
• Film Festivals (Various)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBW cooperates with film festivals for promotion of rated films and participates in joint press activities with distributors and productions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• British Board of Film Classification (BBFC): UK national film classification body that certifies films for theatrical and home release. Comparable as a national film certification institution with a similar regulatory mandate, though focused on age classification rather than cultural-quality predicates.
• Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft (FSK): The German voluntary film self-regulation body that certifies films for theatrical and home release. Directly comparable as the other principal German film certification institution, though FSK focuses on age classification while FBW evaluates cultural/artistic merit.

Broad incumbents

• Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA): The German Federal Film Board, a statutory national film institution that funds and promotes German cinema. Comparable as a key German film body serving producers and distributors with state backing, though its mandate is funding and promotion rather than evaluation.
• Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC): French national cinema body that regulates, supports, and classifies French film. Comparable as a national film institution with a regulatory and promotional mandate similar in spirit to FBW's quality-endorsement role, though broader in scope.
• Motion Picture Association (MPA): US trade association that operates the well-known MPAA film rating system (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17). Comparable as a major film classification body, although MPA is an industry association rather than a state-backed institution and uses audience-orientation ratings.

Others

• German Films Service + Marketing GmbH: National information and marketing organization for German cinema internationally. Comparable as a related German film-industry-supporting institution that promotes German films, complementing FBW's quality-endorsement function.
• European Audiovisual Observatory: Pan-European audiovisual data and information body. Comparable as a film/AV sector institution providing market information relevant to film evaluation and distribution, though pan-European rather than national in scope.
• Deutsche Kinemathek: German film museum and archive in Berlin. Comparable as a publicly-supported German cultural film institution preserving film heritage, though focused on exhibition and archiving rather than evaluation.
• VISION KINO: German school cinema network and film-education organization. Comparable as a related German film-education institution that uses FBW predicates for school programming decisions.

Regional players

• British Film Institute (BFI): UK national body for film culture, archive, and education. Comparable as a publicly-supported cultural institution promoting film heritage, although UK-based and focused on exhibition/archive rather than predicate certification.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fbw-filme

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 Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung