By Secretary General Henrik Hartmann, Nordvision
With a total of 4,912 programme episodes, the Nordvision 2018 results show that this specific collaboration on Nordic content has achieved its second-best year ever. These results must be viewed against the increasing financial pressures facing public service media across Europe and in spite of constantly growing competition from international streaming providers.
The new Chair of Nordvision, Øyvind Lund, Media Director of NRK, summed up the annual results for 2018 with this comment: “At a time when global players continue to tighten their grip on consumers, we are able to deliver relevant and attractive content, created in a Nordic context.”
Consequently, Nordvision is in its all-time greatest shape prior to marking 60 years of business in 2019. Recent years have seen this partnership become even better and more extensive. The production of more than 4,500 programme episodes for the fifth year running sets new standards for Nordic collaboration.
The past year saw a new record for collaboration on drama. In 2018 alone, Nordvision co-produced a total of 511 Nordic drama episodes, equivalent to 410 hours of Nordic drama content.
Reaching this milestone can be seen as a ‘diamond wedding’ for the Nordic public service media not unlike a marriage, the key to success is mutual trust and perseverance. And the mutual trust between the Nordic public service media companies is one of the very strengths of the Nordvision partnership. Everyone contributes, everyone benefits, and no one keeps score or holds any grudges about who may be giving or gaining the most.
The past year saw a new record for collaboration on drama. In 2018 alone, Nordvision co-produced a total of 511 Nordic drama episodes, equivalent to 410 hours of Nordic drama content. One of the reasons for this record is the significant boost to drama cooperation known as “Nordic Twelve”. This has the Nordic public service TV stations co-producing a minimum of twelve new Nordic drama series every year. And every series will be available in all the Nordic countries for twelve months – another significant improvement on previous approaches.
Likewise, new Nordic youth drama is powering ahead at present. Since the hugely successful SKAM, all Nordvision partners have placed tremendous effort on producing new youth drama, including experimental work across national borders and different platforms. Viewers have a lot to look forward to, as more than 10 youth drama series created as Nordic co-productions will premiere in 2019.
In 2018, Nordvision focused not only on specific content collaboration, but also on knowledge exchange aimed at strengthening network cooperation and skills. Approximately 350 staff members from all five partners met at four different specialist seminars during 2018: the SoMe seminar, Nordic Hack Day, Publicerings Hack and Festival of Digital Narratives. All of these sessions will take place again in 2019.
2018 was also the year when we bid farewell to our former Chair, Marit af Björkesten, who is Director of Swedish Yle, and welcomed her successor – NRK Media Director Øyvind Lund.
Further information is available on request – via email hrh(AT)dr.dk or telephone +45 24 24 83 05 – and in the Nordvision Annual Report, published both online and in print week beginning March 4.
