The European Broadcasting Union signed a four-year distribution agreement with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under which it acquired TV and radio broadcast rights for a package of three classical concerts per year.

The first concert to be broadcast is the internationally popular New Year’s Day concert from the Musikverein concert hall, Vienna. It is the most watched annual classical music concert on TV.

The second concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra package is the annual Schönbrunn concert at the Schlosspark Schönbrunn, Vienna. The New Year’s concert and the Schönbrunn concerts are produced by Austrian public broadcaster ORF.

The third element in the package is a special concert relayed from different international locations each year. In 2009 it was held at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, as an expression of the cultural exchanges between Austria and China, and to support the promotion of the 2010 World Exposition in Shanghai. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was directed by Zubin Mehta.

In June 2010, a concert will be held at the Cankar Hall (Cankarjev Dom) in Ljubljana at the kind invitation of RTVSLO. Riccardo Muti will be directing the VPO for some of the following pieces: Mozart (Symphony C major, KV 425), Schubert (Symphony No. 7, B minor), Tchaikovsky (Symphony No. 6, B minor).

The concerts are broadcast by 44 EBU Member broadcasters including: Albania (RTSH), Andorra (RTVA), Azerbaijan (ITV), Belarus (BTRC), Belgium (RTBF & VRT), Bosnia Herzegovina (BHRT), Bulgaria (BNT), Croatia (HRT), Cyprus (CYBC), Czech Republic (CT), Denmark (DR), Egypt (ERTU), Estonia (ERR), Finland (YLE), France (FR2), Georgia (GTVR), Germany (ZDF), Greece (ERT), Hungary (MTV), Iceland (RUV), Italy (RAI), Kosovo (RTK), Latvia (LTV), Lebanon (TL), Lithuania (LRT), Macedonia (MKRTV), Moldova (TRM), Montenegro (RTCG), Netherlands (NOS), Norway (NRK), Poland (TVP2), Portugal (RTP), Romania (TVR), Russia (RTR), Serbia (RTS), Slovenia (RTVSLO), Spain (RTVE), Sweden (SVT), Switzerland (SF, TSI & TSR), Turkey (TRT) and UK (BBC).