Ralf Rückauer on ZDF Studios’ Format Strategy

Ralf Rückauer, VP Unscripted at ZDF Studios, shared with TV Formats Festival viewers how the factual, scripted and kids’ powerhouse is approaching the factual-entertainment and quiz-show landscapes.

Rückauer’s keynote conversation, which ended day one of the TV Formats Festival, can be viewed in its entirety here.

Formats is a fairly new growth area for ZDF Studios. “We are in the middle ground,” he explained. “We are not a major and we’re not a tiny independent production company. We can choose partners in different countries. We don’t have a network of production arms that we have to feed. We’re free to think about the best partner for a specific format in different countries and territories.”

As part of those efforts, ZDF Studios backed the launch of a factual entertainment unit in 2023, aligning with Tom Gamlich and Jan Fritzowsky for CONTENT LADEN. “We have some subsidiaries in our portfolio, but Content Laden is a very specific kind of company,” Rückauer explained. “It’s a true startup. It started with two producers. Now, they have a subsidiary in Cologne. It’s not hundreds of people working there. They’re very creative.”

ZDF Studios is now rolling out the fact-ent format Magic Moves from CONTENT LADEN. “There are four episodes and a version for a kids’ channel,” Rückauer said. Next up, ZDF Studios is launching CONTENT LADEN’s Song Trip.

Factual entertainment is proving to be particularly valuable to broadcasters amid budget cuts, Rückauer noted. “It tells a story about real people in a real environment. You’re leaving the studio… and there’s a more direct emotional [connection] to the protagonist.”

ZDF Studios continues to roll out Wanna Bet?, a long-running studio-based show that attracted the interest of ITV last year. “Now, they’re shooting a new season. We are in talks with many other territories in Europe—in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, you name it.”

On what he’s hearing from clients about their needs, Rückauer noted, “The buzzwords are budget cuts and risk aversion. Most commissioning editors that you are talking to don’t want to invest too much time in a show that might not perform. Most of the decision-makers on the management level trust more in something that has proven success or is a reboot because people know the brand. But that said, there is also a lot of creativity coming up at the moment. And broadcasters are thinking about teaming up with other territories and creating a big hub in one city, and then you can share costs. There’s a whole new world of thinking creatively and creating something new.”

On goals for the year ahead, Rückauer noted, “I’m looking more for other territories to get formats from. There’s not so much creativity and opportunities from Germany. We have to find ways to broaden our scope in terms of territories and ideas.”