The legal battle between ARD, ZDF, and ProSiebenSat.1 regarding the unauthorised integration of the public broadcasters’ media libraries into the Joyn platform has reached a turning point.
On 15 April 2025, the Cologne District Court ruled in favour of ARD, granting the broadcaster a preliminary legal victory in the dispute over the embedding of its media library ARD Mediathek into ProSiebenSat.1’s streaming service Joyn without its consent, reports German industry publication DWDL.
The court’s decision (case number 14 O 82/25) addressed the legal nuances of how ARD’s content was used on Joyn during a self-proclaimed “beta test”, which had been launched without ARD’s approval. ARD had filed the lawsuit, arguing that Joyn had wrongfully integrated its media library into its own platform without permission, violating both intellectual property and copyright issues.
According to an ARD spokesperson, the court confirmed that the ARD Mediathek, as a complete offering, is protected by law and cannot be integrated into third-party platforms without ARD’s explicit consent. “Content cannot be extracted and reassembled without agreement,” the ARD representative commented following the decision.
ProSiebenSat.1, however, found aspects of the ruling that it views positively. While the court sided with ARD on the issue of the integration process, it ruled solely on the matter of database rights – an area where ProSiebenSat.1’s use of ARD’s content could be deemed permissible under certain conditions. A ProSiebenSat.1 spokesperson said that the ruling confirmed the broader possibility of embedding selected content from ARD and ZDF on third-party platforms, so long as the entire or essential parts of their media libraries are not used.
This court’s decision comes after ProSiebenSat.1 had already removed the ARD and ZDF media libraries from the Joyn platform in early March 2025.
Despite the setback, ProSiebenSat.1 remains committed to finding a solution through continued dialogue with ARD and ZDF. The media company stressed that it values a constructive partnership with the public broadcasters, with a focus on ensuring a strong and competitive dual broadcasting system in Germany. ProSiebenSat.1’s statement highlighted their belief that there is a valid legal basis for embedding content from public broadcasters, and that the company remains optimistic about resolving the dispute amicably in the future.
The court ruling, while significant, might not be the final chapter in the ongoing dispute. ProSiebenSat.1 has indicated that it will analyse the details of the ruling before deciding on any further legal steps. However, the company’s emphasis on cooperation and the need for collaboration between local players to combat the US streaming giants suggests that, despite the courtroom victory for ARD, both sides are likely to pursue further discussions.
