Veronika Kovacova of Germany’s Beta Film is taking a leading role in the distribution, co-financing and coproduction of high-end content out of Central and Eastern Europe.
Veronika Kovacova
Few television companies based in Western Europe have been more actively involved in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in recent years than Munich-headquartered Beta Film. In fact, the company has its roots in CEE as its founder and CEO, Jan Mojto, was born in what was then Czechoslovakia and is now Slovakia.
So too was Veronika Kovacova, the company’s executive VP of international sales and acquisitions, overseeing CEE, Turkey, Greece, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, albeit many decades after Mojto.
Since 2012, Kovacova has been working in several roles at Beta, having started her career at its Bratislava-based subsidiary Eurokim in 2006.
Kovacova played a key part in Beta’s acquisition of the high-end crime series The Pleasure Principle, a landmark international TV coproduction that saw producers from several CEE countries, including Poland and Ukraine, work together on a large-scale production for the first time.
Canal+ in Poland, pubcaster Czech TV and Star Media in Ukraine commissioned the series from Poland’s Apple Film Production, and the 10-parter went on to be sold by Beta to buyers including ZDF and Arte in Germany and France in 2019.
“Content from CEE is really hot property. With its creative talent and production power, the region has now firmly established itself as one that everyone wants to work with,” says Kovacova.
“International streamers and the big players have realised the potential that lies there as well. Even in a time of global turmoil in the industry, they have entered the market, and I admit, competition is always a great chance to grow.”
More recent projects include The Silence, based on the critically acclaimed books that uncovered human and weapons trafficking throughout Eastern Europe. The programme was produced by Beta Film-owned Croatian prodco Drugi Plan and pubcaster HRT in coproduction with Beta Film, Star Media, ZDF/Arte and now-defunct Ukrainian streamer OLL.TV.
The Pleasure Principle involved producers from several CEE countries
The series was sold to Warner Bros Discovery-owned Max, which has proven to be an active buyer of CEE programming from Beta, having also taken series such as the Serbian thriller Children of Evil, produced by Firefly Productions for Telekom Srbija.
Beta has also been a driving force behind Ukrainian war drama In Her Car, produced by Starlight Media and Gaumont in coproduction with a host of European broadcasters, including France Télévisions and ZDF.
“In Her Car emphasises the power of human stories that cut through borders and conflicts. The courage, commitment and professionalism of the talented creatives involved in the realisation of In Her Car under the most difficult conditions is more than impressive,” said Kovacova last year when Beta came on board the show, which it has since sold to the likes of NHK in Japan.
Other acquisitions include the Bosnian series I Know Your Soul, by European Film Award winner Jasmila Žbanić, which premiered at the International Film Festival in Venice in 2023, while the Serbian series Operation Sabre, about the assassination of Serbian prime minister Zoran Đinđić in 2003, won the Special Interpretation Award at Canneseries earlier this year.
What does Operation Sabre, a show from Serbia’s RTS that tells a very local story, reveal about the market for high-end drama in CEE and why did Beta come on board?
Max picked up Ukrainian-Croatian series The Silence
“What sets the series apart is the extensive preparation the team went through to realise the project. It took almost five years of research and a plethora of interviews with people who were involved in the police investigation to ensure the quality of the scripts is on par with the story they want to tell,” says Kovacova.
“This results in the outstanding production quality on screen. The series also hits the right tone at the right time, as it is a challenging year given the political situation all over the world and the series captures that feeling perfectly. The assassination of Zoran Đinđić happened more than 20 years ago, but sadly this could be a headline today. Due to its actuality and character-driven plot, it is a great example for a local story with global potential,” says Kovacova.
A key part of Beta’s CEE strategy is to leverage local talent and the attractive production incentives available in the region, aiming to replicate the kind of success it has experienced in the Nordics, where it operates Beta Nordic Studios. The Germany company also operates Beta Entertainment Spain, and recently launched production joint ventures including Number 9 TV in the UK and Janeiro Studios in Brazil.
Throughout all the consolidation the European TV business has seen in recent years, Beta Film has remained independent. “I hope for many years we will be an independent company. We are proud of that,” says Kovacova, who emphasises the importance of partnerships and alliances to the company’s plans.
The company acquired a majority stake in Zagreb-based Drugi Plan in early 2020 and Kovacova says doing so has allowed Beta to make headway in the Balkan region.
Operation Sabre focuses on the assassination of Serbian premier Zoran Đinđić
“They [Drugi] are incredibly well-connected within the region, so it has helped us find a way to other countries in the Balkans,” says Kovacova, who knows the importance of getting involved in projects at their early stage to prime them for international distribution.
“Compared to the past, more pure distribution model, it’s now important to really be there from the first minute. The sooner the better,” adds the exec. “Entering CEE in a time where it hadn’t gained widespread recognition yet has been a wonderful opportunity to connect with skilled, creative talent and tell their unique and authentic stories.Operation Sabre, about the assassination of Serbian prime minister Zoran Đinđić in 2003
“Our goal is to broaden our network and have a constant stream of projects from the region with different partners from each country, as they all have stories to tell which will resonate globally.
“Now more than ever, it has become crucial to join forces across borders and to turn to alternative financing models. Coproduction and co-financing are key to fulfilling global potential.”
Ukrainian war drama In Her Car from Starlight Media and Gaumont
Next up, Beta Film is involved in the ambitious historical drama Rise of the Raven (10×60′), which seeks to showcase Central Europe’s rich history to a global audience. Tipped to be one of the most epic European TV productions of all time, it tells the story of the extraordinary feat of the Hungarian army in 1456 when it won the bloody, brutal Battle of Belgrade against a vast Ottoman force twice its size.
Financed by the National Film Institute of Hungary and Beta Film, it is produced by Serendipity Point Films, Twin Media, HG Media, MR Film and Beta Film and coproduced by Hungary’s TV2 Network. The show will be broadcast by TV2 in Hungary and Slovenia, and by coproducer and public broadcaster ORF in Austria.
“This coproduction not only ensured a budget that is as high as an epic story of this proportion demands, but also to align it as a truly international project,” says Kovacova.
Kovacova is keen to see similarly joined-up thinking among CEE broadcasters and believes “stories that connect countries to history” could be in demand in the years ahead. The development and financing of such projects may “take patience,” says Kovacova, but no company knows the potential rewards that come from persevering better than Beta.
15th century historical drama Rise of the Raven
So which broadcasters in CEE are the most forward-thinking when it comes to producing high-end drama?
“HBO was definitely very early in the region, producing high-end drama and picking up on progressive topics. HBO’s Burning Bush and Wasteland, both series directed by Oscar nominee Agnieszka Holland, travelled very well internationally and became success stories,” recalls Kovacova.
“But the public broadcasters have moved into that space with high-end series produced locally with sometimes even controversial topics from their specific country. For example, Operation Sabre from Serbia’s RTS or The Silence from Croatia’s HRT.”
“HRT is also the first public broadcaster from CEE to join the young-adult hit franchise Skam, with the local adaptation Sram. Czech TV was among the first pubcasters to invest in high-end original productions and coproductions across the region. Also worth mentioning is the 2017 historical drama Maria Theresa, co-developed, coproduced and financed in Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and Slovakia.
“The latest trend we have seen is local streamers, such as Voyo, gaining significance, stepping out of HBO’s shadow and working on high-end drama with timely topics. Telco operator Telekom Serbia, which we are closely working with, is investing heavily in original productions, such as Golden Boy or Children of Evil. But it is difficult to single out a specific broadcaster for the whole region, as all countries are different in their culture, funding structures and producing habits.”
