What to watch at CPH TV Festival this year?

Starting Monday, 25 August, the Copenhagen TV Festival will follow four content tracks in two days: “Production is key”, “Turning Ideas into Global Hits”, “AI In Action”, and “Creator Economy!”, rather than one theme. ”This year, we are doing something new. Rather than one great theme, we have released the programme to follow four thematic tracks,” director Mette Sig, Danish Producers’ Association, who has led the Copenhagen TV Festival since 2008, told Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

For 25 years, Copenhagen TV Festival has been the television industry’s essential event for inspiration, networking, and new insights into TV trends. The conference, launched in 2000 to address a rapidly changing television market, is one of the most significant annual events in Scandinavia dedicated to the professional television industry. Over 1,000 participants, ranging from independent production companies to major broadcasters, gather over two days, with approximately 130 speakers from both domestic and international backgrounds presenting in about 50 sessions focused on TV content.

“The festival programme has grown significantly in both size and scope, and now nearly half of the approximately 50 sessions are international. Naturally, there are also more participants, including attendees from all over the Nordic countries. Swedes, in particular, attend because it is the only professional festival of its size in Scandinavia that is solely focused on the television industry,” Mette Sig said.

The festival's raison d'être remains the same – to keep the TV industry up to date with key current developments, and even ahead of them. Anna Porse Nielsen, director of the Danish Producers’ Association, told NFTVF that fact-based programmes that support democratic values and strengthen communities in Denmark are extra important in 2025. "I am particularly looking forward to my conversation with DR's new director general, Bjarne Corydon, and TV 2's director, Anne Stig Christensen. Both DR and TV 2 play a crucial role, and although they compete, the tech giants pose the greatest threat. It is more important than ever that we can gather at the TV Festival, where the industry comes together and exchanges knowledge," Porse Nielsen said.

The four tracks

The entire 2025 event follows four general themes, split into four tracks. However, the first question every year is: What do broadcasters and streamers want for their 2027-28 season? This year, the conference has divided the important interviews into two main sessions, where local and international commissioners discuss both non-fiction and fiction.

One track is “Production is key”. In 2025, there will be more sessions that delve into various aspects of production - from photography and planning to directing and production management. Sessions include Adolescence: The One-Take Masterpiece; No Second Takes: Directing Live; Den Filmiske Dokumentar; and Intuitionens Kraft: Fra Mavefornemmelse Til Metode. The second track, “Turning Ideas into Global Hits”, inspires innovation and development. Look for sessions such as: Made In Norway; and Talpa Studios: From Vision to Global Hit. ”Creator Economy!” will deliver inspiration on how the TV industry engages audiences across all platforms and develop business models tailored to those platforms. Visit sessions like: YouTube: Your new partner; Channel 4: Platforms, Audiences, Strategy; and Creator Economy: From Feed to Format. ”AI In Action” covers several international sessions that look to AI and how AI can optimise production while unleashing new creativity. Session like: K7: AI In Storytelling; and Unlocking creativity with AI.

Same location: Tivoli Congress Center Once again, the event is organised by the Danish Producers' Association, with DR, TV 2, and Warner Bros. Discovery serving as the main sponsors and primary partners. The festival unfolds in Copenhagen on August 25th and 26th at the Tivoli Congress Center. On August 27th, Copenhagen Masterclasses will also take place at the Danish Film School. The programme is designed by Director Mette Sig and Festival Editor Maria Hougaard, with external capacity provided by the TV industry. In 2025-26, Marianne Bjørn, format editor at TV 2, serves as the chairperson of the programme committee, and has contributed to developing the programme strategy.