ORF On celebrates record year: streaming revolution started in Austria!

ORF On celebrates record year: streaming revolution started in Austria!

On May 22, 2024, the Austrian streaming platform ORF On celebrated its first anniversary. ORF General Director Roland Weißmann highlighted the remarkable success of the platform, which has established itself as the most used streaming service in Austria. ORF On offers a wide range of over 1,000 programs with more than 13,500 episodes, which include over 200 films, 500 series episodes and 950 documentaries and reports. In addition, the platform enables live streams from all four ORF TV channels as well as ORF KIDS.

ORF On's offering also includes topic-related video collections, a section with “must-see” content from local stars and around 170 special live streams from the areas of news and sports every month. In the first year, the platform recorded record numbers of video streams: with 436 million minutes of use per month, an increase of 40%, and 95 million gross views (increase of 42%), users were invited to linger. The most successful month was January 2025, in which the platform generated 19.5 million net views and 580 million minutes of use.

Digital transformation and future prospects

ORF On plays a central role in the ORF 2030 corporate strategy and underlines the digital transformation of the entire ORF. Even if the ORF is on a cost-cutting spree, the station is consistently investing in future areas such as streaming. New technical developments, improved stability and a better user experience are constantly being worked on. The service is available on around 30 tech platforms, including cable operators and smart TV device manufacturers.

The media industry itself is undergoing profound change as traditional media concepts are losing importance. According to a recent Deloitte study Streaming services are increasingly investing in the production and licensing of their own content and are thus competing directly with traditional providers in the TV and video industry. Consumers expect relevant and attractive content when and where they want it, which is permanently changing consumer behavior.

Future scenarios for the industry

The uncertain future of the television and video industry is influenced by various factors. The question of whether platform giants such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple and Google dominate the market or whether a diverse ecosystem can develop in which traditional providers also play remains open. The Deloitte study examines various future scenarios up to 2030 and shows that digitalization is revolutionizing the production processes and distribution of content. With the introduction of All-IP, flexible media consumption via fast fiber optic networks and 5G will become the norm.

Additionally, artificial intelligence and analytics are expected to play an important role in improving personalized recommendations for consumers. While video-on-demand is gaining traction, linear TV remains relevant, especially when it comes to live content. The pressure on traditional media companies could be reduced by more moderate regulation in the media sector, especially for online and mobile services. These developments appear to be crucial for the future of the industry and the shaping of overall media consumption.