Autentic’s Mirjam Strasser Shares the Keys to Success in Today’s Market

Autentic specializes in high-end factual programming and offers buyers a range of titles, including blue-chip wildlife, history and science shows. As Mirjam Strasser, the head of sales and acquisitions, explains, the company is active across the entire documentary value chain: production, distribution and channels. Among the keys to success in today’s ever-changing market are adaptability and a focus on quality storytelling.

TV REAL: Given the economic climate in the TV industry, what types of documentary and factual programming is Autentic focusing on?
STRASSER: Ultimately, we are looking for series and one-offs with clear hooks and strong storytelling. Given the current economic climate in the TV industry, Autentic is placing particular emphasis on factual programming with strong market potential across both traditional broadcasters and digital platforms. With the growth of digital platforms, especially FAST channels and YouTube, there are more windowing opportunities than ever before. Second runs have become increasingly important, and genres dealing with topics that remain relevant for long periods are especially valuable for maximizing long-term exploitation.

Wildlife programming continues to be a major priority. We’re very happy to continue our partnership with Terra Mater Studios. Their wildlife documentaries, known for exceptional production value, have global appeal and a long shelf life. Blue-chip wildlife consistently travels well and retains its value for years.

History programming also plays an important role in our portfolio. Historical content does not age as quickly as other genres might and is particularly well-suited for repeated windowing across platforms. There is an especially strong demand for ancient history programming like Secrets of Ancient Structures and Second World War programming. A great example is Between Hitler and Stalin: Europe’s Darkest Years.

TV REAL: Tell us about your curated documentary collections, such as the ones for International Women’s Day and World Wildlife Day. How did these curated collections come about? What advantages do they offer buyers?
STRASSER: It’s ultimately about making our content easier to discover and to work with. As our library expands, curated collections offer a quick way for buyers to find the most relevant and impactful titles at the right moment and that aligns with their editorial needs. For example, in our International Women’s Day collection, titles like Still They Rise—Afghan Women Under the Taliban offer powerful, current perspectives on women’s rights and resilience. For World Wildlife Day, films such as Penguin Baywatch showcase engaging animal stories with broad audience appeal.

TV REAL: Are you seeing more demand for new content, or are many buyers still preferring reruns and sequels?
STRASSER: On the one hand, multiple seasons of successful series, sequels and established IPs remain incredibly important. Buyers are still looking for the reliability of content that they already know will work. Strong returning series continue to perform well.

But there is also a strong demand for fresh stories. Buyers are looking for blue-chip topics, unique angles and projects with real exclusive access to help cut through the noise and help them stand out in a crowded marketplace.

TV REAL: What growth are you seeing in your digital sales? What is driving this growth?
STRASSER: The pace has slowed on some of the major platforms due to recent algorithm changes, but we’re still seeing solid growth in our digital sales as we dig deeper into our expanding library with smart rights management and windowing. Expanding into new territories and offering multiple language versions have also been strong growth drivers. In addition, our increased focus on our own B2C channels and direct upload access to platforms, rather than relying solely on aggregators, has given us greater control and consistently improved results.

TV REAL: Is there a difference between the type of content that works best on digital platforms and what works on linear channels?
STRASSER: Yes, there are some differences, although several genres perform strongly across both linear and digital platforms. As already mentioned, wildlife and nature works exceptionally well everywhere, and even older titles continue to deliver on both VOD and linear channels as long as they’re high-quality and timeless. The same applies to history, which remains a consistently strong genre for us in both areas.

Where we see a digital advantage is in content built around extremes—higher, faster, bigger, the most dangerous. These perform particularly well in non-linear environments because they are catchy and highly clickable. Building on the success of this type of content online, we’ve now launched our FAST channel Wheels & Steel, focused on engineering and big machines, as a natural extension of this trend.

TV REAL: What upcoming titles would you like to mention? Science of Hope sounds like a program we should all watch!
STRASSER: Science of Hope is definitely one of the projects we’re very excited about. It’s produced by Autentic, and it’s one of the last new documentaries featuring Jane Goodall and her incredibly inspiring message. The film brings together neuroscientists and people who truly believe in their dreams and never seem to lose hope. In a time with so much doom and gloom, it feels important and very current. From our experience, buyers often don’t want exclusively heavy or negative programming. Uplifting, optimistic or wonder-filled content offers a meaningful counterbalance. Science of Hope taps into exactly that: it inspires and gives viewers a much-needed sense of possibility.

Another highlight is The Sum of All Cities. It’s a global tour of the world’s cities told through their numbers—full of clever graphics, surprising facts and a very entertaining style. It’s a fresh way of looking at urban life.

And then there’s Independence Dawn—The Forgotten Revolution, our highlight for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in 2026, which we’re producing with Go Button Media. The documentary features high-quality reenactments and delivers a visually striking account of this defining moment in history. What makes this documentary stand out is its fresh, inclusive perspective. It explores the American Revolution through the eyes of those who have long been overlooked: women, Black soldiers, spies, ordinary men, and young people who fought for a freedom from which they were often excluded.

TV REAL: 2025 has been a challenging year. What is your outlook for 2026? Where are the opportunities for Autentic?
STRASSER: 2025 hasn’t been easy for anyone in the industry, but we’re optimistic about 2026. For us, the key is staying proactive and adaptable. The market is evolving rapidly (especially in the digital space), so we’re not just responding to change, we’re actively preparing for it. We’re strengthening our workflows, expanding our technical capabilities, and ensuring we’re fully equipped for new forms of exploitation and emerging distribution pathways.

One of Autentic’s strengths is that we’re broadly positioned across the entire documentary value chain: production, distribution, and channels. That gives us stability, but also a lot of room to seize new opportunities. We’ve built a strong digital focus over the years, and that’s paying off. We’ve launched our own YouTube channels and expanded our FAST portfolio with new channels like Wheels & Steel most recently, and more in the pipeline.

On the production side, we’re seeing opportunities as well. Our production department is very active, delivering projects for both public and private broadcasters, working with a wide range of financing models, and teaming up with fantastic partners. Our ability to collaborate, co-produce, and tailor financing structures is one of our real strengths.