ABSTRACT
Since 1970 televised debates have been a continuous feature of Austrian parliamentary election campaigns. Understood as Chancellor’s debates until the 1990s, an increasing number of parties and television channels led to a growth in the number of debates and formats. The 2019 election witnessed a historic peak of 43 one-on-one and group debates on seven television channels. While broadcasters regularly update their formats to adjust to the increasing number of debates, not all candidates keep up anymore and send substitutes or even skip individual shows. Viewership, however, remains high and mostly stable. In addition to a historical overview, this chapter explores the significance of debates for Austrian elections, elaborates on candidates’ attention-grabbing strategies such as the use of placards and the exchange of presents, and discusses why the synergies of social media are specific to commercial broadcasters. A short overview of other arrangements providing voters with televised debates, as well as closely related formats, leads us to ask the question of whether Austria may have reached peak television debate.
