German film and TV producers produced more in 2020 and 2021 than in the pre-corona year 2019. This was possible because the TV stations awarded more orders to support the film industry and because the federal government, the federal states and Film funding agencies had provided extensive help to overcome the corona pandemic.

2022 looks like another record year.

In 2020, ARD invested a total of 857.1 million euros in productions.

In 2019 it was 845.4 million euros.

With more than 650 million euros, ZDF was also the largest single client in the German TV production industry in 2021.

This year, orders worth around 700 million euros are to be awarded to the industry.

Since 2020, more than 300 million euros in Corona grants have been made available for producers, cinema operators and distributors, including both default funds.

ARD, ZDF and some private broadcasters also shoulder 100 percent of the costs for corona protection measures for new productions.

In addition, in the event of damage, fifty percent of the corona-related additional costs for those productions that do not fall under default funds I or II are covered.

Despite a growth in productions and extensive financial help, according to the producer alliance, revenues have fallen at many companies due to additional costs.

According to the Federal Competence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries, the film industry overall, including cinemas, recorded a 39 percent decline in sales in 2021 compared to 2019. However, this industry is not alone in the creative industries with such a drastic slump: the decline in the performing arts was even 78 percent, in the music industry 59 percent.

burden of unplanned costs

According to statements by their managing director Björn Böhning, the producers now fear further unplanned costs that could put a considerable strain on the approximately 900 film and television production companies in Germany.

These include increased energy and fuel prices, additional expenses for "green shooting" and higher salaries, which seem unavoidable due to the increasing shortage of skilled workers.

The additional expense for the power supply, for example during filming, and for the necessary mobility is estimated at ten to fifteen percent.

As can be heard from circles in the Producers' Alliance, this problem is to be solved with an additional, short-term increase in the license fee.

They have contacted the KEF chairman Martin Detzel and hope for a special report.

Apart from the fact that the federal states would have to commission such a special report and an "extraordinary" contribution increase does not fit into the statutory system of contribution determination by the Kef, such a project is more than unusual.

In view of an inflation rate of almost eight percent, which is a burden on both the population and the entire economy, a single industry is now to be supported by a "special sacrifice" of all citizens.

In a conversation with this newspaper in April, Martin Detzel made it clear that

According to constitutional law, the broadcasting fee serves exclusively to finance the public broadcasters according to their needs and is not a form of economic promotion.

If the producers see financial problems with their projects, they have to turn to the clients, for example the public service broadcasters, and not to the Kef.

The broadcasting contribution increased by 3.8 percent to 8.42 billion euros in 2021, after having increased by around 43 million euros in the previous year.

It should also be remembered that the expenditure for the program from 2021 to 2024 is only 44.5 percent of the total expenditure, according to Kef.

So there is still scope here, either to increase the budgets for commissioned productions or to set even stricter program priorities, also from the point of view of costs.

Imagine the Bundesliga, which also has economic concerns due to the corona pandemic and the current explosion in costs, demands an increase in the broadcasting fee so that ARD and ZDF can pay more for the broadcasting rights.

Of course, the comparison isn't entirely correct, but such a consideration would have been just as outdated as that of the producers.