A group of leading Swiss production companies have joined forces and founded a new outfit called Swiss Studios AG in Zurich.
The groundbreaking move was prompted by the so-called ‘Lex Netflix’, the Swiss law that forces streamers such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to reinvest 4% of their local revenues in Swiss film and TV productions.
Shareholders of Swiss Studios include Elite Filmproduktion, represented by Roger Kaufmann; Praesens-Film Production AG, represented by Corinne Rossi; Contrast Series, represented by Ivan Madeo; Bavaria Fiction Switzerland, represented by Dominic Fistarol and Marcus Ammon; and Kinescope Film GmbH, represented by Matthias Greving.
“We are pleased that with the establishment of Swiss Studios we have taken a groundbreaking step for the Swiss and European creative industries,” said Malte Probst, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Swiss Studios AG, in a statement.
“Now it’s time to bring the new possibilities arising from the ‘Lex Netflix’ for Switzerland to life with exciting content,” he added.
When ‘Lex Netflix’ was passed in May 2022, the Swiss Ministry of Culture estimated it would inject the equivalent of between $18 million and $30 million into the Swiss film and TV industry.
In 2023, Netflix announced its first Swiss original, a co-production with the Swiss network RTS entitled ‘Winter Palace’, which will chart the birth of winter tourism in the Alps, as conceived by a Swiss hotelier and British aristocrat in the early the 20th century.
In the statement, Swiss Studios said it will “offer everything from a single source – development, production, distribution and marketing of media projects – as well as license distribution and other services related to handling investments and accounting obligations.” It aims to “become the center for Swiss film and television projects through joint efforts and consolidated know-how.”
“Our mission is to use the services of Swiss Studios to enrich the Swiss film industry and create internationally competitive productions,” said board member Ivan Madeo.