How is Salzburg evolving as a film and media location? What opportunities do artificial intelligence and new financing models offer for the industry? And what economic impact do film and television productions already have today?
These questions were at the heart of the 21st Salzburg Media Summit, which brought together around 300 representatives from the film, media, business, political and research communities at Schloss Leopoldskron on 24 July 2026. National and international speakers discussed current developments in the media and creative industries and explored the opportunities they present for Europe and Salzburg as a business and innovation location.
Europe’s Creative Future in Focus
The summit opened with the morning programme “Europe’s Creative Future”, organised in cooperation with EIT Culture & Creativity. Following the opening address by State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner, international experts discussed the future of Europe’s media and creative industries. Key topics included the impact of artificial intelligence, new forms of collaboration, and how Europe can strengthen its creative and technological competitiveness in the long term.
Among the keynote speakers were Annette Schäfer, CEO of EIT Culture & Creativity, Hans Hoffmann from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and Stefan Kollinger, Chief Innovation Officer at ORF. They highlighted how innovation, European cooperation and emerging technologies are transforming the media landscape, and which framework conditions are needed for Europe to remain competitive internationally. The programme also featured pitches from national and international startups as well as a panel discussion on Europe’s opportunities in a rapidly changing media environment.
The Film Industry as an Economic Driver
The afternoon programme was opened by Walter Haas, CEO of Innovation Salzburg, and Stefanie Daubek, Chair of the Film and Music Industry Division of the Salzburg Economic Chamber. In a video message, Salzburg Governor Karoline Edtstadler emphasised that the values upheld in Europe represent a key strength, particularly when addressing artificial intelligence and social media.
The programme continued with the presentation of two new studies examining Salzburg’s film and media sector from different perspectives. A study commissioned by Innovation Salzburg and the Film and Music Industry Division of the Salzburg Economic Chamber shows that the film industry generates more than EUR 430 million in annual value creation and secures around 5,000 jobs—approximately twice as much as previous statistics had indicated. For the first time, upstream and downstream value creation effects were also included, confirming the film industry as one of Salzburg’s key economic sectors and placing it on a comparable economic level with Vienna. “Film funding is an investment in a strong industry with tangible positive effects. In addition, there is the long-term impact on tourism,” said Walter Haas, CEO of Innovation Salzburg.
A second study by Michael Paul and Jan Wimmel (Unicepta) examined the tourism benefits generated by film and television productions. Successful productions increase the international visibility of filming locations and can create significant promotional value for a destination. Among the examples presented were the TV series Der Bergdoktor and the crime production Alpentod.
International Perspectives on the Future of Film and Media
The afternoon continued with discussions on the key challenges and opportunities facing the film and media industry. Topics included new financing models, the use of artificial intelligence, the future of European content and the competitiveness of Europe as a production location.
International speakers included producer and actress Veronica Ferres, Gerhard Zeiler, President of Warner Bros. Discovery International, producer Heinrich Ambrosch, Servus Media manager Marlene Beran, attorney Laura Zentner and executive producer Rose Marie Vega. Veronica Ferres advocated for competitive funding schemes across Europe, describing them as a major opportunity to attract more international productions to Europe and Austria.
During the closing fireside chat, moderated by Hannes M. Schalle, participants agreed that strong local content and attractive funding instruments are key success factors for international productions. Gerhard Zeiler described Austria’s FISA+ funding programme as a major competitive advantage and emphasised that global streaming platforms can only succeed in the long term by investing in strong local productions.
Premiere of Mozart – The Sounds of Salzburg
The Salzburg Media Summit concluded with the premiere of the short film Mozart – The Sounds of Salzburg, showcasing Salzburg’s DomQuartier and starring acclaimed actor Philipp Hochmair.
Strengthening Salzburg as a Film and Media Hub
The Salzburg Media Summit is organised and supported by Film & Music Salzburg, Innovation Salzburg, Film & Music Austria (F&MA), the Salzburg Economic Chamber, the Federation of Austrian Industries Salzburg, Fernsehfonds Austria, ABA – Film in Austria/FISA+, the Austrian Film Institute, EIT Culture & Creativity and Servus Media.
The summit aims to address current developments in the media and creative industries, foster dialogue between business, research, politics and the creative sector, and strengthen Salzburg’s position as an innovative and internationally competitive film and media hub.
All photos from the Salzburg Media Summit are available on Picdrop: View the photo gallery
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