Beta Film Takes Rex Worldwide as Season 2 Hits Production
Beta Film takes Rex – Vienna Calling worldwide with a broad international sales footprint spanning Australia, Europe and Asia, as Season 2 of the police-dog reboot goes into production on six new feature-length episodes now shooting at recognizable locations across Vienna.
Key Takeaways
- Beta Film is distributing “Rex – Vienna Calling” worldwide as Season 2 filming begins.
- Confirmed buyers include SBS, Rai, TV 2 Denmark, Alpha TV, HRT, Planet TV, STVR, Nova, TVR, Duo Media Networks, SIA Tet, LNK, Action Channel and SHANT TV.
- Season 1 opened to nearly 1.6 million viewers on Germany’s SAT.1 and posted strong shares on ORF and Rai 2.
- Maximilian Brückner stars as detective Max Steiner opposite German Shepherd Rex.
- The show continues the three-decade “Rex – A Cop’s Best Friend” franchise from MR Film with SAT.1 and ORF.
What Did Beta Film Announce for Rex?
According to Variety, Beta Film has unveiled a broad international sales footprint for “Rex – Vienna Calling,” the latest incarnation of the long-running “Rex – A Cop’s Best Friend” franchise. The deals land as production gets underway on a second season.
Beta Film handles worldwide rights to the series, which MR Film produces in co-production with SAT.1 and ORF. Backing includes FISAplus, the Austrian Television Fund and the state of Lower Austria. For more streaming and TV deal alerts, see our Streaming & TV Alerts hub.
Where Has Rex – Vienna Calling Been Sold?
Confirmed buyers span several continents. In Australia, SBS has picked up the series. In Italy, Rai is on board, while Denmark’s TV 2 has also acquired the show.
Elsewhere in Europe, Alpha TV (Greece), HRT (Croatia), Planet TV (Slovenia), STVR (Slovakia), Nova (Bulgaria) and TVR (Romania) are among the buyers. Baltic deals cover Duo Media Networks in Estonia, SIA Tet in Latvia and LNK in Lithuania.
Action Channel in Japan and SHANT TV in Armenia are also attached, with further sales still under negotiation. Variety notes the evergreen IP is finding traction as mature streaming markets shift “from hits to habits,” with more viewing across the long tail. Audience analytics firm PlumResearch describes that shift in on-demand television.
How Is Season 2 Shaping Up—and Did Season 1 Perform?
“Rex – Vienna Calling” stars Maximilian Brückner (“War Horse,” “Cherry Blossoms”) as detective Max Steiner, who teams with German Shepherd Rex on cases across Vienna. Six new feature-length episodes are currently shooting at some of the Austrian capital’s most recognizable locations.
Season 1 opened to almost 1.6 million viewers on Germany’s SAT.1, posting a 7% overall share and 9.9% among 14-49s. In Austria, the six feature-length episodes averaged 701,000 viewers and a 27% share on ORF. The Italian premiere on Rai 2 drew more than 750,000 viewers and a 5.6% share, rising above one million once on-demand and catch-up viewing were included.
Over its 30-year history, the police-dog franchise has spawned multiple local adaptations. Canadian remake “Hudson & Rex,” another long-running Beta title, was recently renewed for a tenth season—further proof the format still travels in an increasingly on-demand market.