Clemens Pig elected new ORF Director General
June 12, 2026 07.33 Europe/London By Jörn Krieger

The Foundation Council of Austria’s public broadcaster ORF has appointed Dr Clemens Pig, former chief executive of the Austrian news agency APA, as Director General for a five-year term beginning on 1 January 2027.

Pig secured 21 of the 35 votes cast by the Foundation Council during a marathon meeting that lasted around 15 hours, making it the longest session in the body’s history. A simple majority was required for appointment.

The selection process followed hearings involving nine shortlisted candidates. Former HBO executive Johannes Larcher received six votes, former ProSiebenSat.1 Puls 4 chief executive Markus Breitenecker secured four, ORF magazine editor-in-chief Lisa Totzauer received three, and ORF III co-managing director Kathrin Zierhut-Kunz obtained one vote.

According to Foundation Council Chairman Heinz Lederer, the result represented a clear endorsement of Pig’s strategic vision for the broadcaster. Vice Chairman Gregor Schütze said the lengthy process reflected the council’s commitment to a professional and transparent selection procedure that complied with the requirements of the European Media Freedom Act.

In his first statement following the vote, Pig said he would begin working immediately with interim ORF chief executive Ingrid Thurnher, who will lead the broadcaster until the end of 2026. He described ORF’s main challenges as maintaining public trust and legitimacy, addressing a funding crisis, and accelerating its platform and digital transformation.

Pig said he aims to transform ORF from a traditional broadcaster into a “platform for society”, with a stronger focus on regional programming, streaming services and content aimed at younger audiences. He added that his goal was to create an ORF that future generations would experience primarily as a digital public-service platform.

Born in Innsbruck in 1974, Pig founded media monitoring company MediaWatch while studying political science. The company was later acquired by APA, where he joined the management board in 2008 and became chief executive in 2016. APA is owned by ORF and a consortium of Austrian newspaper publishers.

Pig will take over at a challenging time for the broadcaster. The Austrian government recently confirmed the removal of an annual compensation payment worth €93 million and has frozen the monthly ORF household levy at €15.30 until 2029. The government is also preparing a broader ORF reform package expected to be discussed later this year.