Austria 
Eurovision News 
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has recognised Austrian public service media organisation ORF with the prestigious EBU Excellence in Media Award 2026. This honour celebrates ORF’s significant advancements in live production quality and workflow efficiency during their coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. The contest was hosted in Vienna, showcasing the broadcaster’s exceptional capabilities.
The EBU Excellence in Media Award is a highly regarded accolade within the broadcasting industry, acknowledging outstanding achievements in various aspects of media production and delivery. ORF’s win underscores their commitment to pushing the boundaries of live television production.
The award was presented to ORF and ARRI at the IBC in Amsterdam on the EBU stand.
The award specifically highlights the innovative approaches and improvements implemented by ORF for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. These advancements covered both the technical quality of the live broadcast and the streamlined workflows employed behind the scenes, ensuring a seamless and spectacular show for millions of viewers worldwide.
Hosting the Eurovision Song Contest is a monumental task, demanding meticulous planning and execution. ORF’s dedication to enhancing the viewer experience through superior production quality has set a new benchmark, earning them this distinguished recognition from the EBU.
The EBU’s press release reads:
ORF and ARRI set a technological milestone in live television production. ORF’s aim was to bring the visual quality of the globally broadcast show closer to the aesthetics of cinema and music film productions, while at the same time ensuring the reliability required for a large-scale live production.
For the first time, 28 live cameras were deployed for the world’s biggest live TV music show, including 24 ARRI ALEXA 35 Live cinematic cameras. Together, ORF and ARRI developed and implemented new camera, colour management, and live production workflows that enabled cinematic image quality to be delivered within the demanding environment of a large-scale broadcast production.
A particularly innovative element was the use of more than 50 individually developed colour looks (LUTs), which were automatically triggered via intelligent automation systems, giving each performance its own distinct visual identity. In doing so, ORF and ARRI brought key elements of traditional post-production into a live broadcast workflow, establishing new possibilities for the future of major event productions.
Antonio Arcidiacono (EBU Director of Technology & Innovation) says:
This award is about what a public media organization and a supplier can achieve together that neither could achieve alone. ORF and ARRI did not buy a solution off the shelf; they defined the problem, built the answer and then proved it in the least forgiving environment our industry has, which is live television watched by millions of people at once. We want more vendors to work with EBU Members in this way, from the concept stage rather than at the point of purchase, and we will keep recognizing them when they do.
Harald Kräute (ORF Director of Technology and Digitalization) says:
We viewed the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 as an investment, not a one-off project. The workflows we developed and the confidence our teams gained in Vienna will remain with ORF for the long term and are already shaping our approach to everyday productions. A challenge on this scale drives innovation forward. The insights and expertise gained together with ARRI will stay with our teams and carry them into the future.
Kraute adds:
ORF would like to thank all partners and technical disciplines that contributed to this project. “Special thanks go to ARRI, Riedel and NEP for developing and integrating the camera and broadcast workflows. We also gratefully acknowledge Creative Technology (LED/Video), Neg Earth (Lighting), Big Rig (Rigging), Agora (Audio) and Sennheiser (RF Mics & In-Ear), as well as numerous national and international technical service providers.
David Bermbach, Chief Product Officer at ARRI says:
What we achieved together with ORF in Vienna goes beyond a single production. We demonstrated that the visual language of cinema and the demands of large-scale live television can successfully be brought together in a live production environment. The innovations developed for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 establish new possibilities for broadcasters and are already helping to shape the next generation of live production technology.
Michael Krön, the ORF’s Executive Producer of the ESC 2026 says:
This award belongs to the entire team, who worked for months on a special visual identity. We wanted to give audiences a show they could feel, not just watch, and that’s exactly what the camera concept achieved. Seeing this work recognized internationally confirms the direction we have taken with the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 – I’m absolutely delighted.
