German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF will significantly restructure their joint portfolio as part of the implementation of the reformed national broadcast treaty, strengthening digital-first services and consolidating linear TV channels.
The move marks one of the most substantial reorganisations in Germany’s public service broadcasting landscape in years, with a clear focus on younger audiences and more efficient collaboration.
Both broadcasters emphasised that the reform is driven by long-term changes in media usage. ZDF Director-General Dr Norbert Himmler said the new structure brings “the best of both worlds together”, noting that the process had been demanding but constructive. “We focused on the interests of the target groups and selected the services where we, as strong partners, can jointly offer the best possible programme,” he said.
ARD Chair and hr Director-General Florian Hager highlighted the success of existing joint digital brands such as funk and KiKA. “Together we become even better. We have proved this many times, and that is how we approached this task. Successful digital offerings show what ARD and ZDF can achieve when they address specific audiences jointly, especially in the digital space,” he said. The strengthened cooperation, he added, will “sustainably reinforce public service media”.
Under the new structure, ARD and ZDF will continue the three most-used services in the fields of news & information, education, documentaries and young adult content. These will form the backbone of the future joint portfolio, operating under new brand names:
• phoenix von ARD und ZDF – the joint information service combining ARD aktuell, ZDFheute, parliamentary and event coverage, and accompanying discussion formats
• neo von ARD und ZDF – a shared offering for young adults
• info von ARD und ZDF – a joint linear documentary channel
The broadcasters stress that existing collaborations such as ARTE, 3sat, funk, KiKA and joint sports coverage demonstrate that shared services can reach specific audiences effectively without compromising editorial identity or limiting healthy journalistic competition. The same principles will apply to the new joint channels, they underline.
The reformed broadcast treaty requires ARD and ZDF to reduce the number of linear channels and operate them only jointly. As a result, the following ARD channels will be discontinued on 31 December 2026:
• ARD alpha
• tagesschau24
• ONE
From January 2027, the jointly operated portfolio will consist of ARTE, 3sat (led by ZDF), KiKA (led by ARD/MDR), funk (led by ARD/SWR), the new documentary channel info (led by ZDF), the young adult service neo (led by ZDF), and the information channel phoenix (led by ARD/WDR).
In the coming months, ARD and ZDF plan to establish joint working groups to define the operational framework for the new services. This includes programme planning, coordination processes, workflows and technical preparations, leading up to a trial phase before the official launch of the revised channel line-up on 1 January 2027.
