True-Crime Orders Plummet Worldwide, Yet 651 Deals Keep Europe on Edge

During a briefing at Seriesly Berlin on Monday, data analyst Rahul Patel of Ampere Analysis disclosed that while overall television commissions in the true‑crime genre have slipped, demand for the type remains steady.

The panel discussed commission figures from the past decade, revealing a drop from about 2,500 global orders in the first half of 2022 to fewer than 2,000 in the first half of 2026. Though lower than pre‑pandemic highs, this figure still exceeds the roughly 1,250 orders recorded in H1 2020.

The report highlighted a divergent trend: true‑crime commissions are falling worldwide, yet Europe has seen a surge in demand for the genre over the last two years.

In that period, 651 true‑crime series were ordered across European broadcasters—well ahead of the second‑most popular category, arts, crafts and culture, which received 481 orders. Other top categories include travel (427), historical (341), nature and animals (312), sports (256) and biography (217).

## Industry Trends Over Time

Ampere’s data shows a clear downward trajectory for true‑crime commissions in the decade leading up to 2026. The first half of 2022 marked a peak of around 2,500 orders worldwide, after which figures have steadily declined. By H1 2026, the total fell below 2,000—yet remains above the pre‑pandemic low of roughly 1,250 recorded in H1 2020.

These numbers suggest that while the genre’s overall volume is decreasing, it has not yet reached its lowest historical point.

## European Demand and Genre Ranking

Over the past two years, European broadcasters have prioritized true‑crime content. The genre accounted for 651 series orders, eclipsing arts and culture by 170. Travel followed at 427, with historical and nature and animals categories lagging behind at 341 and 312 respectively.

Sports (256) and biography (217) rounded out the top six. In terms of proportion, crime documentaries have represented between 15% and 19% of all commissions since 2022, outperforming arts and culture—currently between 11% and 15%—though the latter is showing an upward trend.

## Platform Preferences and a New Storytelling Experiment

Sub‑scrip‑tion streaming services show a strong preference for true‑crime. Between H1 2024 and H1 2026, crime documentaries made up 35% of all documentary orders for subscription streamers, with sports second at 20%. In contrast, public broadcasters gave crime only 10% of their documentary commissions; arts edged out crime at 15%.

Commercial free‑TV broadcasters favored crime (18%) over travel (15%), while pay‑TV providers mirrored subscription services, placing crime at 30% and art at 11%. An “other” category comprised between a quarter and a third of orders for all platforms except SVOD, where it dropped to about a seventh.

Christian Beetz of the German production company Beetz Brothers—owned by Mediawan—shared his perspective on the genre during the panel. He described true‑crime as “still the strongest genre” for subscription streamers and discussed his new four‑part HBO Max original, *Clangold*.

The series, slated to debut on November 13, focuses on a high‑profile German crime: a 100‑kilogram gold coin known as the Big Maple Leaf was stolen from Berlin’s Bode Museum.

The documentary follows investigators’ pursuit of the perpetrators amid a chaotic gang‑related landscape, blending traditional true‑crime elements with additional genre twists to stand out in a crowded market.

Beetz emphasized that HBO offers a distinct storytelling platform compared to Amazon and Netflix, allowing for more complex narratives. “HBO are a different player that comes with an ID of more complex storytelling,” he said.

“They are really different to Amazon and Netflix, where it is more about getting audience attention.” He added that *Clangold* provided space to explore varied narrative techniques.

The data from Ampere Analysis and the industry conversation at Seriesly Berlin underscore that while true‑crime commissions are ebbing globally, European broadcasters and streaming services continue to see the genre as a cornerstone of their documentary line‑ups.

As new projects like *Clangold* aim to refresh the format, the true‑crime landscape remains vibrant even amid broader industry shifts.