As one of the largest industrial nations and with the largest population in the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
today offers a vast diversity of television stations.
Public channels
ARD
ARD, consortium of German
public broadcasting
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
services, consisting of the following public stations (which also provide regional programming in separate channels):
*
Das Erste (The First) (ARD)
**
ARD-alpha
ARD alpha is a German free-to-air television channel run by regional public-service broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk. Its programming consists of shows made by Bayerischer Rundfunk, as well as from ARD and Austrian broadcaster ORF. The chann ...
— German education channel, with TV courses
**
One
**
tagesschau24
Tagesschau24 (stylized as tagesschau24) is a German free-to-air television channel owned by ARD and managed by Norddeutscher Rundfunk. It was launched on 30 August 1997 as "EinsExtra" before the introduction of its current name on 1 May 2012.
...
*
Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR; "Bavarian Broadcasting") is a public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD consortium of public broadcas ...
(BR)
**
BR Fernsehen
*
Hessischer Rundfunk
Hessischer Rundfunk (HR; "Hesse Broadcasting") is the German state of Hesse's public broadcasting corporation. Headquartered in Frankfurt, it is a member of the national consortium of German public broadcasting corporations, ARD.
Studios
Do ...
(HR)
**
hr-fernsehen
*
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR; ''Central German Broadcasting'') is the public broadcaster for the federal states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. Established in January 1991, its headquarters are in Leipzig, with regional studi ...
(MDR)
**
MDR Fernsehen
MDR Fernsehen is a regional public service television channel owned and operated by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) and serving Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ) ...
*
Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)
**
NDR Fernsehen
NDR Fernsehen is a German free-to-air regional television channel targeting northern Germany, specifically the states of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hamburg and Bremen.
It is broadcast by both Norddeutscher Rundfun ...
*
Radio Bremen
Radio Bremen (RB), Germany's smallest public radio and television broadcaster, is the legally mandated broadcaster for the city-state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (which includes Bremerhaven). With its headquarters sited in Bremen, Radio Brem ...
(RB)
**
Radio Bremen TV
Radio Bremen TV is a regional public service television channel owned and operated by Radio Bremen (RB) and serving Bremen, Germany. It is one of seven regional "third programs". The name reflects the fact these programs all came into existence ...
*
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (; "Berlin-Brandenburg Broadcasting"; abbreviated: RBB , stylized as rbb) is an institution under public law (national broadcaster) for the German states of Berlin and Brandenburg, based in Berlin and Potsdam. RBB ...
(RBB; established on 1 May 2003 from a merger of the former ''Sender Freies Berlin'' and ''Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg'')
**
RBB Fernsehen
*
Saarländischer Rundfunk
Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR; ''Saarland Broadcasting'') is a public radio and television broadcaster serving the German state of Saarland. With headquarters in the Halberg Broadcasting House in Saarbrücken, SR is a member of the ARD consor ...
(SR)
**
SR Fernsehen
SR Fernsehen is a regional public service television channel owned and operated by Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR) and serving Saarland. It is one of the seven regional "third programmes" that are offered within the federal ARD network.
The cha ...
*
Südwestrundfunk
Südwestrundfunk (SWR; ''Southwest Broadcasting'') is a regional public broadcasting corporation serving the southwest of Germany , specifically the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. The corporation has main offices ...
(SWR; established on 1 October 1998 from a merger of the former ''Südwestfunk'' and ''Süddeutscher Rundfunk'')
**
SWR Fernsehen
*
Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln (''West German Broadcasting Cologne''; WDR, ) is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the conso ...
(WDR)
**
WDR Fernsehen
WDR Fernsehen is a German free-to-air television network owned and operated by Westdeutscher Rundfunk and serving North Rhine-Westphalia. It is one of the seven regional "third programmes" television stations that are offered within the federal ...
ZDF
*
ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, "Second German Television"):
**
ZDFneo
ZDFneo is a German free-to-air television channel, programmed for an audience aged 25 to 49 to counter the primarily older-skewing main channels of public broadcasters ZDF and ARD. It replaced ZDF's documentary channel ZDFdokukanal on 1 Nove ...
**
ZDFinfo
ZDFinfo is a German free-to-air documentary television channel owned by ZDF. It was launched on 27 August 1997 as ZDFinfokanal, and later rebranded as ZDFinfo on 5 September 2011. On 1 May 2012, a high-definition simulcast
Simulcast (a po ...
ARD & ZDF
*
KiKA
KiKA (contraction of ''Der KinderKAnal von ARD und ZDF'' ARD and ZDF">ARD_(broadcaster).html" ;"title="he Children's Channel of ARD (broadcaster)">ARD and ZDF]) is a German free-to-air television channel based in Erfurt, Germany. It is man ...
''Der Kinderkanal'' — public, non-commercial children's TV, with support of ARD and ZDF
*
Arte
Arte (; (), sometimes stylized in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to culture.
It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping ARTE, plu ...
— public
Franco
Franco may refer to:
Name
* Franco (name)
* Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975
* Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître"
Prefix
* Franco, a prefix used when ref ...
-German culture channel from ARD, ZDF and
France Télévisions
France Télévisions (; stylized since 2018 as ) is the French national public television broadcaster. It is a state-owned company formed from the integration of the public television channels France 2 (formerly Antenne 2) and France 3 (form ...
*
3sat
In logic and computer science, the Boolean satisfiability problem (sometimes called propositional satisfiability problem and abbreviated SATISFIABILITY, SAT or B-SAT) is the problem of determining if there exists an interpretation that satisfies ...
— cultural network from the ARD, ZDF,
ORF
ORF or Orf may refer to:
* Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF
* Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute
* One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel
* Open reading frame, a portion of the ...
(Austrian Broadcasting), and
SRG (Swiss Broadcasting).
*
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
— public - with information, documentaries, news, jointly operated by ARD and ZDF
DFF (defunct)
*
Deutscher Fernsehfunk
Deutscher Fernsehfunk (DFF; German for "German Television Broadcasting") was the state television broadcaster in the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) from 1952 to 1991.
DFF produced free-to-air terrestrial television programmin ...
or "Fernsehen der DDR" operated the two (now defunct) television networks of
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
Private channels (Free-TV)
RTL Deutschland
*
RTL Television
RTL (from '), formerly RTL plus and RTL Television, is a German-language free-to-air television channel owned by the RTL Group, headquartered in Cologne. Founded as an offshoot of the German-language radio programme '' ,'' RTL is consider ...
*
VOX
*
RTL Zwei
RTL Zwei (stylised as RTLZWEI), formerly spelled RTL 2 and RTL II, is a German-language television channel that is operated by ''RTL2 Television GmbH & Co. KG''. RTL2 is a private television broadcaster with a full program ''(Vollprogramm)'' ...
*
RTL Up
RTLup (formerly RTLplus) is a German free-to-air television channel of the RTL Group, which is mainly aimed at female viewers aged 45 and over. Its schedule consists largely of documentary soaps and court shows.
The channel was renamed to RTLu ...
*
Nitro
*
Super RTL
Super RTL is a German free-to-air television network owned by the RTL Group. The channel originally launched in 1995 as a joint venture between RTL Group predecessor company CLT-UFA and Disney's Buena Vista International Television Investments ...
*
n-tv
n-tv is a German free-to-air television news channel owned by the Bertelsmann Media's RTL Group. n-tv broadcasts news and weather every hour and half-hour in the morning. It also broadcasts magazine shows and documentaries.
History
n-tv beg ...
* Toggo Plus
* VOXup
ProSiebenSat.1 Media
*
Sat.1
*
ProSieben
*
kabel eins
*
sixx
*
Sat.1 Gold
*
ProSieben Maxx
ProSieben Maxx is a German free-to-air channel owned by ProSiebenSat.1. The channel started broadcasting on 3 September 2013 with the movie '' Captain America: The First Avenger'' at 8:15 p.m. On 30 July 2013 ProSieben Maxx received a DVB-T br ...
*
kabel eins Doku
Paramount Global
Paramount Global ( doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned and operated by National Amusements (79.4%) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York. ...
*
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...
*
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
*
MTV Germany
MTV Germany is a German language free-to-air television channel operated by Paramount Global. The channel launched on 7 March 1997 as MTV Central, as part of a regionalisation strategy by Paramount Global, then MTV Networks Europe.
Availabi ...
Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA
Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The subsidiary is responsible for managing the collection of their cable and satellite networks around the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.
History
WarnerMedia ...
*
DMAX
*
Eurosport 1
*
TLC
* HGTV
*
Tele 5
Tele 5 is a German free-to-air television channel that broadcasts classic American films, series, cartoons and Japanese anime.
On 3 July 2020, Discovery, Inc. agreed to acquire the channel from Leonine Holding, completing the purchase on 1 ...
WeltN24
*
Welt
*
N24 Doku
*
Bild TV
Others
* Anixe (DE)
*
center.tv
*
Flux.tv
*
Disney Channel
*
SPORT1 Sport1 may refer to the following TV channels:
* Sport1 (Eastern Europe)
* Sport1 (Germany)
* Sport1 (Lithuania)
* Sport1 (Netherlands) Sport1 may refer to the following TV channels:
* Sport1 (Eastern Europe)
* Sport1 (Germany)
* Sport1 (Lithuani ...
Pay-TV
Sky Deutschland
Sky Deutschland GmbH, branded as Sky, is a German media company that operates a direct broadcast satellite Pay TV platform in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (through Sky Switzerland). It provides a collection of basic and premium digital sub ...
Sky
*
Sky Cinema Premieren
* Sky Cinema Premieren +24
* Sky Cinema Action
* Sky Cinema Best Of
* Sky Cinema Classics
* Sky Cinema Family
* Sky Cinema Fun
* Sky Cinema Special
* Sky Cinema Thriller
* Sky Comedy
* Sky Crime
* Sky Documentaries
*
Sky Krimi
Sky Krimi is a German television channel dedicated to crime series. It mostly features original German language productions.
It started out as "Krimi & Co" on the DF1 satellite platform when it launched. DF1 had several channels dedicated to ...
* Sky Nature
* Sky One
* Sky Replay
* Sky Showcase
* Sky Sport News
*
Sky Sport 1 - 11
* Sky Bundesliga 1 - 11
RTL Deutschland
*
RTL Crime
*
RTL Passion
*
RTL Living
RTL Living is a German pay television channel operated by the RTL Group, launched on 27 November 2006. Its programming consists of television shows about trends, lifestyle, life and travel. On October 1, 2015, RTL Group announced that it was rela ...
*
GEO Television
Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October ...
*
Toggo Plus
ProSiebenSat.1 Media
*
Sat.1 emotions
*
ProSieben Fun
*
kabel eins classics
Mainstream Media
* Heimatkanal (
DE)
* Romance TV (
DE)
* Goldstar (
DE)
Warner Bros. Discovery Germany
*
Animal Planet Germany
Animal Planet is a German television channel broadcasting programmes about animals, nature, and wildlife to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
An agreement to launch the channel exclusively on the Premiere platform was signed by Discovery Networ ...
*
Discovery Channel Germany
*
Eurosport 2
Eurosport 2 is a French sports television network. It is a sister channel to Eurosport 1, which is a division of the Eurosport Network and a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. Several different versions of the channel exist across Europe, where te ...
*
Boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...
*
Cartoon Network
*
WarnerTV Comedy
*
WarnerTV Film
*
WarnerTV Serie
Paramount Global
*
MTV Germany
MTV Germany is a German language free-to-air television channel operated by Paramount Global. The channel launched on 7 March 1997 as MTV Central, as part of a regionalisation strategy by Paramount Global, then MTV Networks Europe.
Availabi ...
* MTV Music
*
Nicktoons
Nicktoons is a collective name used by Nickelodeon for their original animated series. All Nicktoons are produced partly at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and list Nickelodeon's parent company (Viacom, now known as Paramount Global) in their ...
*
Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...
NBCUniversal
*
13th Street
*
Syfy
*
Universal TV
Universal TV, formerly Universal Channel, is an international pay television network specializing in movies and television series in the thriller, drama, comedy, horror, crime and investigation genres, owned by NBCUniversal International Netwo ...
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainme ...
*
Sony AXN
AXN Black (formerly ''Sony AXN'') is a German language pay-TV channel from High View Group that mainly offers feature films and series, as well as reality formats and lifestyle broadcasts. The German version of the international AXN was launch ...
*
Sony Channel
A&E Networks
A&E Networks (stylized as A+E NETWORKS) is an American multinational broadcasting company that is a 50–50 joint venture between Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company through its General Entertainment Content division. The company ...
* Crime + Investigation
*
History
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
Others
* Spiegel Geschichte (
DE)
*
Beate-Uhse.TV
*
Kinowelt TV
* Motorvision (
DE)
*
Sportdigital
Sportdigital is a sports-oriented television channel in Germany. The channel broadcasts on various cable and satellite packages including Sky Deutschland and broadcasts uninterrupted sports coverage daily.
Coverage includes KHL Hockey, Brazili ...
*
Stingray Classica
* Blue Movie (
DE)
*
Junior
Junior or Juniors may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959
* ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009
* ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010
* ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019
Films
* ''Junior'' (1994 ...
*
National Geographic Channel
*
Nat Geo Wild
National Geographic Wild (shortened as Nat Geo Wild and abbreviated NGW) is a global pay television network owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27%). T ...
Regional channels
* Baden TV
* HD Campus TV
* filstalwelle
* KraichgauTV
* L-TV
* Regio TV Bodensee
* Regio TV Schwaben
* Regio TV Stuttgart
* Rhein-Neckar Fernsehen
* RTF.1
* augsburg.tv
* Niederbayern TV Deggendorf-Straubing
* Franken Fernsehen
* ''Herzo.TV''
* intv
* Niederbayern TV Landshut
* ''ITV Coburg'' + ITV info
* ''Kulmbach TV''
* münchen.tv
* münchen2
* Oberpfalz TV
* Regionalfernsehen Oberbayern
* Niederbayern TV Passau
* allgäu.tv
* TV Oberfranken
* TV Mainfranken (tvm)
* TVA - TVAktuell
* Alex Offener Kanal Berlin (Wedding)
* Spreekanal
* BFtv
* Elbe-Elster-Fernsehen
* jüterbog-tv:
* KW-TV
* Lausitz TV
* luck-tv:
* Neiße Welle Guben (NWG)
* Oderland.TV
* Oder-Spree Fernsehen (OSF)
* Fernsehen für Ostbrandenburg (ODF)
* OHV TV
* PotsdamTV
* Usedom TV
* rangsdorf-tv:
* sabinchen-tv:
* SKB Stadtfernsehen Brandenburg
* Strausberg TV
* teltOwkanal
* tv-lu
* WMZ TV
* Radio Weser.TV
* Hamburg 1
* Tide (Bürger- und Ausbildungskanal)Tide TV
* noa4
* Offener Kanal Fulda
* Offener Kanal Gießen
* Offener Kanal Kassel
* Offener Kanal Offenbach/Frankfurt
* OF-TV
* rheinmaintv
* Rok-tv - FiSCH - TV Fernsehen in Schwerin
* Greifswald-TV
* Grevesmühlen-TV
* MV1
* neu'eins
* rok-tv
* Rügen TV & Stralsund TV
* tv.rostock
* TV-Schwerin
* Vorpommern TV
* Wismar TV
* Ems TV
* Friesischer Rundfunk
* H1 (Fernsehen)
* oldenburg eins
* os1.tv
* Radio Weser.TV
* regiotv
* TV38
* CityVision
* nrwision
* Studio 47
* :OKTV Südwestpfalz
* naheTV
* Offener Kanal Kirchheimbolanden
* RheinLokal
* OK Weinstraße
* OK-KL
* OK:TV Mainz
* OK54 Bürgerrundfunk
* OK-TV Ludwigshafen
* OK4
* rheinahr.tv
* Rhein-Neckar Fernsehen
* TV Mittelrhein
* wwtv
* Coswiger Infokanal K3
* Dresden Fernsehen
* Dresdeneins
* eff 3
* Elsterwelle
* eRtv - euro-Regional tv
* Infokanal Crimmitschau
* Kabeljournal Flöha
* KabelJournal Chemnitzer-Land
* kanal 8 dresden
* kanal 8 sport
* Kanal 9 Erzgebirge
* Kanal Eins
* Leipzig Fernsehen
* Mittel Erzgebirgs Fernsehen
* Mittelsachsen TV
* mwdigital
* Nordsachsen TV
* Pirna TV/Prohlis TV
* punkteins oberlausitz TV
* Regio TV Borna
* Riesa TV
* Sachsen Fernsehen
* TV Westsachsen (TV W)
* Torgau TV
* TV Zwönitztal/tele-Journal
* TV-Laußig
* tvM Meissen Fernsehen
* Vogtland Regional Fernsehen (VRF)
* kulturmdTV
* MDF.1
* Offener Kanal Magdeburg
* Offener Kanal Merseburg-Querfurt
* Offener Kanal Wettin
* punktum
* RAN1
* Regionalfernsehen Bitterfeld-Wolfen (RBW Regionalfernsehen)
* Regionalfernsehen HarzRFH
* TV Halle
* Kiel TV
* Offener Kanal Flensburg
* Bad Berka TV
* JenaTV
* Kabel Plus
* Rennsteig.TV
* Saale-Info-Kanal
* salve.tv
* Stadtkanal Steinach
* Südthüringer Regionalfernsehen (SRF)
* Telemedien Rudolstadt
* tv.altenburg
Defunct television channels
*
9Live
*
Das Vierte
*
Disney Junior
Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven y ...
*
Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven yea ...
*
Düzgün TV
*
EinsPlus
*
Fox Channel
The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations and ...
*
GIGA Television
GIGA was the brand name of a digital TV channel (also known as GIGA Digital or GIGA TV) and several German television shows. The channel ceased operations in 2009.
History Early days
The first GIGA show was broadcast on 30 November 1998. The s ...
*
K1010
*
MTV2 Pop
*
MTV Brand New
*
Musicbox
*
Onyx.tv
Onyx.tv was a German music television channel operated by the French AB Groupe.
Unlike MTV Germany, MTV and VIVA Germany, VIVA, it had a reputation for less mainstream but alternative music such as punk subculture, electronic music or trip hop.
...
*
Terranova
*
TIMM
*
TM3
*
Toon Disney
*
VH-1 Deutschland
*
VIVA
*
VIVA Plus
*
VIVA Zwei
*
XXP
XXP was a German documentary TV station headquartered in Berlin.
It was started in 2001 by Spiegel TV and dctp. It broadcast documentaries, magazine shows and reports, discussions and interviews. There was also a daily news program. The progra ...
*
ZDFdokukanal
ZDFdokukanal was a TV station between 1 April 2000 and 31 October 2009 and part of the digital TV package offered by ZDF.
Distribution
The program was broadcast nationwide via the TV cable networks (DVB-C) and the satellite Astra 19.2°E (DVB- ...
*
ZDFkultur
*
ZDF Musikkanal
*
ZDFtheaterkanal
See also
*
Television in Germany
Television in Germany began in Berlin on 22 March 1935, broadcasting for 90 minutes three times a week. It was home to the first public television station in the world, named ''Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow''.
In 2000, the German television market h ...
*
Media of Germany
{{Europe topic, List of television stations in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
Television in Germany
Stations