New platform

End of ORF TVthek: How to continue watching anyway

The new ORF ON is available on a wide range of end devices, and "Tatort" & Co. can also be streamed on tablets in future.(Bild: ORF)

From Wednesday, a new video platform will replace the previous TVthek at the public broadcaster - and it should be able to do a lot more. Read here how to access this platform and how it works.

ORF's TVthek is history. From Wednesday, it will be replaced by ORF ON, an online streaming platform in the style of Netflix & Co. What is new is not only the visual presentation, but above all the length of time the videos are available: Instead of seven days as before, the content is now available for six months or longer, you can now also watch older favorites such as "Kaisermühlen Blues" or "Phettberg's nice Leit Show" in the archive.

All ORF channels are also available as live streams, and some programs will be available for streaming on ORF ON even before they are broadcast linearly. A test version of the platform has been available since the beginning of the year. "With ORF ON, we are entering a new streaming era," says ORF Director General Roland Weißmann, delighted with the step "from classic broadcaster to modern public service platform".

However, anyone who wants to be able to watch age-restricted content during the day must register on ORF On, create an account and provide proof of age, for example by means of a passport or ID Austria. Once on the platform, there are "tips for the journey of discovery" for all those who are not yet comfortable with such interfaces.

On the web: on.orf.at or as the ORF ON app