Eight public broadcasters continue New8 to co-produce more high‑quality European drama

Wednesday, 28 January, 2026 - Public-service storytelling across Europe continues to grow in ambition and impact. Today, during the TV Drama Vision at the Göteborg Film Festival, all eight public service broadcasters of the New8 collaboration - SVT (Sweden), DR (Denmark), YLE (Finland), RÚV (Iceland), NRK (Norway), VRT (Flanders/Belgium), NPO (The Netherlands) and ZDF (Germany) - announced that they will be co-producing drama for another three years. The decision follows critical acclaim and audience impact of drama productions across Europe, affirming New8 as a powerful model for modern public-service collaboration.

By extending the partnership, the broadcasters commit to strengthening and refining the New8 framework, deepening the editorial exchange, and further enhancing the international competitiveness of the drama series. The ambition is clear: to create drama that feels local at its heart, yet universal in its themes - moving effortlessly between genres rooted in European identity.

Heads of Drama Birgir Sigfùsson (RUV), Wim Janssen (VRT), Jarmo Lampela (YLE), Jasmin maeda (ZDF), Henriette Marienlund (DR), Marianne furevold (NRK), Johanna Gårdare (SVT) and Sebastiaan Leeman (NPO). © Jenny Duan, Göteborg Film FestivalElly Vervloet (VRT), Jasmin Maeda (ZDF) and Johanna Gårdare (SVT). © Jenny Duan, Göteborg Film Festival

Elly Vervloet, International Drama Expert at VRT and Chair of New8: “The continuation of New8 confirms the strength of collaboration between public broadcasters. What began as an ambitious initiative has grown into a sustainable network that strengthens local creative industries and ensures that stories travel further. By joining forces once again, we continue to invest in bold, innovative fiction that embodies our public values and resonates with a broad European audience.”

Jasmin Maeda, SVP International Fiction Coproduction and Acquisition at ZDF: "New8 demonstrates the high-quality programming that emerges when strong public-service partners join forces. The various awards for series like Other people’s money and Elixer, as well as the impressive performance of titles on ZDF’s streaming platform, showcase the international strength and creative potential inherent in this collaboration."

Johanna Gårdare, Head of Drama & Film at SVT: "The greatest strength of New 8 is the ability to offer the industry a long-term partnership that can support producers with financing and help their projects reach a wider audience. The new three-year agreement is a renewed commitment to the industry and demonstrates a clear, stable, and long-term system that the industry can depend on."

Since its launch in 2023, New8 has clearly demonstrated the power of European co-productions: from visually striking, imaginative series (This is not a murder mystery) to socially anchored drama (After Benjamin), and entrepreneurial power stories (Vanguard). In the years ahead, the collaboration will continue to highlight pressing social issues that resonate across national borders. It will support local production ecosystems through predictable financing. And it will ensure a strong international reach of local high‑quality drama.