ORF opens the new year with a new streaming platform

The ORF On live streaming platform – available on the web at on.ORF.at – is being rolled out gradually and is constantly updated with new features. The 7-day content access limit is no longer applicable. On the new platform, ORF content can be available for up to six months, and children’s programs and some documentaries for an unlimited period of time.

The first insights presented at a press conference showed that the program on ORF On is divided into films, series, informational, documentary, comedy and satirical. Various lanes on a black background recommend “Our Best Series”. The public can provide feedback via an online survey. Integration of the live streaming display of all ORF channels is not required; After all, “ORF Live” is scheduled to be presented on the platform in April.

All ten episodes of the new series “Beasts” written by Uli Brée (“Vorstadtweiber”) will be available on the platform from Monday, January 1. Two friends from humble backgrounds meet two sisters from a wealthy family, much to their parents’ dismay, and have a really bad time. A series can legally be kept available on ORF On for six months, and then must be broadcast again on linear television in order to continue its run. The regular linear broadcast begins on February 19, before “Biester” is slotted into the nightly program to be shown at the start of ORF On.

A new and unique format by cabaret artists Peter Hormanseder and Robert Schwanz von Macheck will provide entertainment. Once a month (debuting on January 26) the two speakers deliver a tried and tested remix of “Zeit im Bild” for people to find from social media. In the information section, ORF has the new magazine “WeltWeit” (from January 12), in which ORF correspondents look at international developments from different points of view.

But older ORFs selected on January 1st will also be made available. Series such as “Vorstadtweiber”, “Kottan Investigations” and “Schnee” or films from the Austrian series “Country Crime” and “Tatort” are available. The “Welcome Austria” and “Good Night Austria” editions are also mentioned, as well as the “Universum”, “Dok 1” and “Am Schauplatz” editions. Fans of Austrian film classics like “Hinterholz 8” or “Mother’s Day” should also get their money’s worth. “We want to use the new player to show progress – especially with regard to Austrian programming. We want to think outside the box, be as diverse as possible, but not lose sight of our audience,” said ORF Program Director Stephanie Groes-Horwitz.

Purchased goods such as American series or Hollywood movies are still not available. Anyone who logs into ORF On can watch movies like “Tatort” in the early hours and not just in the evening.

ORF places selected productions online for up to 24 hours before broadcast on linear television. For example, “Welcome Austria” must be shown starting at 8pm on the day it is broadcast. After initial checks, ORF is also allowed to produce a limited number of products available online only. But we still have to wait for that. “The Internet just isn’t planned yet. But we’re thinking about it for the future,” says Weissman.

The new ORF On-Player, which also includes the ORF Kids player introduced a few weeks ago, also aims to enhance accessibility. ORF extends translation, audio-picture descriptions, and Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS). “Accessibility was an integral part of the development process,” said Stefan Bollach, head of ORF Online. Here in particular, the comments of those affected are considered “very important”.

Another eye-catching change affects the news site with the highest reach in the country: ORF.at is becoming more video and audio dense, while text content is being reduced. “The Blue Page will continue to provide the basics at a glance,” Bolash said. The Internet director was convinced that the scope would be reduced, “but that would mean an increase in quality.” Weissman also said that despite the new “look and feel,” ORF.at will find its own audience in the future. In the future, the top of the news page will contain videos with the most important information of the day. An overview of the news will also be available in audio form on the home page.