Successes like the Fortress of Power may no longer be seen in the next few years, as streaming services have seen Danish productions become too expensive.
Denmark has been the creator of popular series for many years. Series such as Crime, Fortress of Power and Bridge, originally presented by the Danish broadcaster DR, which have gained great international popularity, have also attracted interest in streaming services.
As a result, streaming services have reported investments in Danish serial and film productions. For example, the latest, fourth season in Fortress of Power was a collaboration between DR and Netflix.
Netflix’s popular Danish series also include the crime series The Chestnut Man and the post-apocalyptic series The Rain. Viaplay’s offerings include Danish crime series Interrogation and Kaida on the road.
With international interest, there has been a growing desire in Denmark to benefit more from the hot serial market. Politicians have agreed on a new charge for streaming services, which obliges services to direct at least 6% of their revenue from Denmark to support new Danish production.
In addition, a new agreement between Producentforeningen, representing producers, and Create Denmark, representing actors, directors and screenwriters, came into force at the turn of the year, guaranteeing authors higher revenues from streaming services. The agreement covers the years 2022 and 2023.
One of the novelties is that instead of a one-off fee, authors have to pay an annual fee and the compensation is tied to the number of subscribers to each service. The services criticize the fact that as the number of subscribers increases, so does the remuneration paid to authors, regardless of whether the number of programs they make increases.
“It’s no longer worth investing in Danish content”
Streaming services have angered politicians and perpetrators. Now Netflix, Viaplay and Denmark’s largest commercial TV company, TV2 Play, which has its own streaming service, have announced that they will suspend all new series and film production in the country.
Viaplay, for example, had previously announced the release of seven Danish productions this year and plans to increase the number to at least ten new Danish films or series in the future.
TV2 was the first to freeze the development of new fiction productions in the spring. More broadly, the issue came to light in early June when Politiken Magazine (go to another service) published information on a letter sent by Netflix to its Danish partners.
“With a heavy heart, we have to tell you that as of today, we will no longer be able to order or develop new Danish films or series,” says Netflix. in their message (you switch to another service) and cites the demands of the Danish unions, which are not financially sustainable.
“We are very disappointed with this development and fear that the agreement, combined with the 6% cultural subsidy for streaming services, will mean that local content in Denmark will no longer be worth investing in,” Viaplay’s Director of Content. Filippa Wallestam write.
In Politiken, he commented on the chairman of the Danish Actors’ Association Benjamin Boe Rasmussen According to the company, internationally operating companies should understand that there is a different compensation model in Scandinavia, which is a prerequisite for high-quality production.
Danish Broadcasting Corporation no longer has money for expensive series
Due to the freezing of productions, the making of a new TV drama in Denmark is increasingly the responsibility of DR, who once started a serial boom.
DR is told that a dispute over the new compensation practices will not have a major impact on its production, as the company has its own separate agreement.
However, the ability of the broadcaster to make new series successes has been weakened by political decisions. In 2018, the Danish Bourgeois Government decided to reduce DR’s operations and cut its spending by tens of millions of euros in the 2023 funding period.
DR is only able to do an average of about 21 hours of new drama a year, that is, two adult series and one family series. In addition, fiction productions include a Christmas calendar, which DR can only afford to do every two years. In recent years, commercial TV2, which produces at least 42 hours a year of new drama, has become Denmark’s largest producer of fiction series.
Leading Producerforeningen Jørgen Ramskov considers the situation of Danish drama production to be worrying.
– Really outrageous, because now there are no more new productions. Then there is no more work, and no more making money. Outraged, Ramskov commented on a dispute with Politiken over streaming services.
It is now feared in Denmark that the sector as a whole will suffer long-term damage. Production and industry workers, especially skilled screenwriters, are now feared to move abroad.
Among other things, he is the director of the production company SAM Productions, which made the Chestnut Man series Meta Louise Foldager gives one example of the consequences Berlingske magazine (go to another service) in an interview. The film, which is scheduled to be shot in Denmark, has now been transferred to Sweden and will be made by a Swedish production team and Swedish actors.
– Now it’s going to be a Swedish movie.
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