OUTSTANDING SUCCESS FOR TV2 IN DENMARK WITH 'THE POLITICAL ASSEMBLY'

In the weeks leading up to Denmark’s national election taking place today, TV2 Denmark’s new program ‘Højskolen’ has emerged as one of the most talked-about political formats in years.

The series, produced by BBC Studios, featured all 12 party leaders including the prime minister. It is based on the Belgian format The Political Assembly (local title; ‘Het Conclaaf’), which was one of the most critically acclaimed programs in Belgium running up to the Flemish elections in 2024. The country’s key politicians spend a weekend together in a special location, blending elements of debate, documentary and reality television, the show has sparked widespread discussion across the Danish media landscape and among viewers.

A BOOST FOR DEMOCRACY, OR REALITY TELEVISION GONE TOO FAR? 

The response has been strikingly diverse and overwhelmingly engaged. Major newspapers, commentators and cultural critics have all weighed in. Some have described the program as “a gift to democracy”, while others have debated whether such an intimate format belongs in the heated context of an election campaign. Regardless of where commentators stand, one point is widely agreed upon: the program has succeeded in getting the whole country talking about ‘Højskolen’ and the elections in general. Transforming TV2’s election coverage, from traditional live debates primarily watched by older viewers with no catch up, to a much more younger skewing, broad audience, with massive VOD ratings. Reaching the entire nation and engaging those viewers that never showed an appetite for politics.

The overnight linear broadcasts on TV2 have already brought the program into the top two most-watched titles in Denmark over the past weeks. At the same time, audiences massively tune in online via TV2’s platforms to watch the full episodes as well as uncut versions of debates and one-on-one interviews from the series, offering viewers a new way to engage with the democratic conversation.

The success in Denmark has not gone unnoticed. Rights to the format have been commissioned in four territories to date where casting is on the menu as we speak. 

Quote Be-Entertainment’s Annelies Noest: “Hats off to TV2 and BBC Studios for delivering a show that celebrates democracy in such an inspiring way at a time when democracy cannot be taken for granted. The world needs more of this!” 

‘The Political Assembly’ is created and produced for VTM in Belgium by Bargoens, led by well-known and renowned TV-maker and presenter Eric Goens.