ORF.de in chaos: Users despair because of faulty search function!

ORF.de in chaos: Users despair because of faulty search function!

The ORF is criticized: Despite an annual budget of around one billion euros, financed by fees and advertising money, users are dissatisfied with the new platform ORF.on. The technical implementation in particular, especially the search function, is described as “subterranean”. Users report difficulties finding the new two-parter “Lilly's Disappearance” because searches only lead to the desired result with the exact title. Partial input leads to frustration, especially on smart TVs where remote control input is cumbersome. Many are calling for immediate improvements to the app to optimize the user experience, as oe24.at reports.

“Lilly's Disappearance” is a two-part event with prominent actors such as Heino Ferch and Jessica Schwarz. The film tells the dramatic story of a five-year-old girl who disappears while on a beach vacation. While the parents, Robert and Anna Bischoff, desperately search for their daughter, Lilly remains untraceable despite a large-scale search. Part 1 shows the family traveling on vacation and looking forward to rest, until they are suddenly confronted with reality when they realize that Lilly's bed is empty. The co-production between ZDF and ORF also offers an audio film version and a second part that will follow, according to the description on tv.ORF.at.

Market shares and audience numbers in focus

But the challenges for the ORF do not last. According to the latest reports, the channel lost market share in 2023. 6.1 million people use one of ORF's offerings every day, which means a market share of 33.8% for the entire ORF television fleet - a decline from 34.6% in the previous year. ORF 2 maintains a constant market share of 21%, while ORF 1 drops to 9.5%. Despite stable numbers for ORF III and ORF Sport+, the average usage per day remains at 55 minutes, below the previous year's figure of 59 minutes. The program structure hardly changes; 66.9% of the broadcast time are productions with an Austrian connection, and 98% of the programs on ORF 2 are European works, reports the Bundestag website parlament.gv.at.

• Marktanteile:
• ORF-Fernsehflotte: 33,8 % (2023)
• ORF 2: 21 %
• ORF 1: 9,5 %
• ORF III: 2,8 %
• ORF Sport+: 0,4 %

ORF's difficulties are manifested not only in declining viewership numbers, but also in users' opinions about the app and the content, which could play a central role in the channel's future development. The demands for technical improvements and a better user experience are urgent and necessary in order to remain relevant in the future.