Facts and Figures 2020 ZDF German Television | Facts and Figures 2020 Facts about ZDF ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fern­ German channels PHOENIX and sehen) is Germany’s national KiKA, and the European chan­ public television. It is run as an nels 3sat and ARTE. independent non­profit corpo­ ration under the authority of The corporation has a permanent the Länder, the sixteen states staff of 3,600 plus a similar number that constitute the Federal of freelancers. Since March 2012, Republic of Germany. ZDF has been headed by Direc­ tor­General Thomas Bellut. He The nationwide channel ZDF was elected by the 60­member has been broadcasting since governing body, the ZDF Tele­ 1st April 1963 and remains one vision Council, which represents of the country’s leading sources the interests of the general pub­ of information. Today, ZDF lic. Part of its role is to establish also operates the two thematic and monitor programme stand­ channels ZDFneo and ZDFinfo. ards. Responsibility for corporate In partnership with other pub­ guide lines and budget control lic media, ZDF jointly operates lies with the 14­member ZDF the internet­only offer funk, the Administrative Council. ZDF’s head office in Mainz near Frankfurt on the Main with its studio complex including the digital news studio and facilities for live events. Seite 2 ZDF German Television | Facts and Figures 2020 Facts about ZDF ZDF is based in Mainz, but also ZDF offers full­range generalist maintains permanent bureaus in programming with a mix of the 16 Länder capitals as well information, education, arts, as special editorial and production entertainment and sports. Its facilities in Berlin. For interna­ coverage provides both a broad tional coverage, ZDF has foreign view on the world and a compre­ correspondents operating in 19 hensive picture of Germany. permanent bureaus worldwide. Schleswig Holstein Hamburg Mecklenburg­Western Pomerania Bremen Brandenburg Lower Saxony Berlin Saxony­Anhalt North Rhine­Westphalia Saxony Hesse Thuringia Rhineland­Palatinate Saarland Legislation on domestic media Bavaria is exclusively assigned to the 16 Länder (Federal States) that Germany is divided into. The enactment of general, supra­ regional media laws governing Baden Württemberg ZDF and its private competitors thus requires the consensus of the 16 Länder parliaments of mostly different party political affiliations. These rules fixing i. a. mission and funding take the form of so­called Inter­State Treaties on media, that are perio­ dically subject to amendments. Seite 3 ZDF German Television | Facts and Figures 2020 Facts about ZDF In compliance with its public ser­ In line with German legislation on vice remit, ZDF produces quality public service media, ZDF issues programmes for all viewers in all a bi­annual statement on pro­ parts of Germany without neglect­ gramme policy, a commitment ing minority interests. In this way which is regularly reviewed by ZDF strives to offer the highest the independent ZDF Television possible public service value. Council. Supervisory bodies TV Council Administrative 60 members Council 14 members Director­ General communications Executive corporate planning Board international affairs internal audit Director, news / current affairs Director, legal (Editor­in­Chief) news politics / current affairs Director, programmes Director, administration economy, law, society and environment (Chief Financial Officer / Deputy Director­General) entertainment sports culture / science finance new media TV drama staff TV series archives film / ZDFneo rights management children and youth procurement property management Director, production (technical) engineering studio production and operation design and post production IT Seite 4 ZDF German Television | Facts and Figures 2020 What sort of environment does ZDF operate in? Germany has a highly competitive They own a large part of the television landscape. In contrast country’s commercial channels, to most countries, even the most both big and small, and share popular channels achieve only between them most of the TV modest audience shares (see advertising market – the biggest table below). On the one hand, in Europe with annual revenues there are ZDF and ARD, the two exceeding four billion euros. The public service media net works. German pay­TV market is still On the other hand, commercial relatively small: The two leading television is dominated by two platform operators (Sky and media groups: ProSiebenSat.1 Deutsche Telekom) together Media AG and RTL Group (ma­ have less than eight million sub­ jority shareholder: Bertelsmann). scribers. Audience shares (Free TV in Germany, in %) 2017 2018 2019 ZDF 13.0 13.9 13.0 ZDFneo 2.9 3.2 2.9 ZDFinfo 1.2 1.4 1.2 partner channels (3sat / ARTE / KiKA / PHOENIX) 4.5 4.4 4.5 ARD (‘Das Erste’) 11.3 11.5 11.3 8 regional ARD channels 12.8 12.7 12.8 RTL 9.2 8.3 9.2 Sat1 6.7 6.2 6.7 Vox 5.1 4.8 5.1 Pro Sieben 4.5 4.4 4.5 Kabel 1 3.4 3.5 3.4 RTL 2 3.2 3.0 3.2 other channels 22.2 22.7 22.2 Seite 5 ZDF German Television | Facts and Figures 2020 How is ZDF financed? Public service media in Germany ZDF: An independent panel of are mainly financed by broad­ experts (KEF) periodically exa­ casting fees, payable by private mines the public media finan­ households as well as busines­ cial needs and recommends an ses and public institutions. appropriate fee level. The 16 Payments are collected by an Länder parliaments then set the agency specifically set up for this fee for a period of usually four purpose by the public service years. The income is shared be­ media. Since January 2013, the tween ZDF, the regional mem­ broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbei­ ber stations of the public media trag) is generally levied on places association ARD and the national of residence and work. It is no radio station Deutschlandradio. longer linked to individual units From the standard annual broad­ of media reception equipment casting fee of 210 euros as paid installed at these places. The by most households (unchanged specifics of who has to pay how from 2009 to April 1st, 2015; much are defined in the federal then lowered from 215.76 to 210 states’ Inter­State Treaties on euros), ZDF receives a share of media that also regulate the 51.8 euros. process of revenue allocation to € 12.31 public media € 4.36 ZDF association ARD (TV and radio) € 0.50 national radio station Deutschlandfunk € 0.33 state­by­state regulators of commercial TV and radio The standard broadcasting fee tariff for individuals in 2019 is € 17.50 per month. Business owners’ tariffs are progressively determined according to the number of employees. Seite 6 ZDF German Television | Facts and Figures 2020 How is ZDF financed? Advertising and sponsorship are or on Sundays and public holi­ additional sources of funding. days. In comparison, advertising However, special advertising rules are more liberal for our regulations apply to ZDF as a commercial competitors: They public television: Commercials are permitted to fill up to twen­ are legally restricted to a maxi­ ty per cent of each programme mum of twenty minutes per day hour with advertising, which can from Monday to Saturday, and add up to more than four hours cannot be broadcast after 8 pm per day. ZDF Operating Budget income in million euro 2016 2017 2018 2019 Broadcasting fees 1.885 1.895 1.903 1.918 Advertising and sponsorship 176 163 192 173 Other revenues 138 130 132 139 Total 2.199 2.188 2.227 2.230 Seite 7 ZDF German Television | Facts and Figures 2020 ZDF programming: diversity as a core public service value* ZDF broadcasts a broad range of art reviews and science pro­ programmes, from news, politics grammes, German TV film and current affairs to arts and productions or entertainment science magazines, from music shows, ZDF has been setting and movies to entertainment standards and regularly receives shows. Compared to other the highest quality ratings in generalist channels in Germany, audience surveys. ZDF’s sports ZDF has the highest proportion reporting and children’s program­ of reporting on social, political ming are also strong brands. The and economic affairs as well as numerous German and interna­ on arts and culture. In various tional awards testify to ZDF’s genres, including documentaries, commitment to quality content. Art, culture, education Religion 0,5 % Promotional time 2,5 % and science 3,5 % Music 0,7 % Advertising 1,1 % Sport 4,7 % News and current affairs 40.0 % Children 4,5 % Entertainement 10,1 % Fiction 32,5 % ZDF main channel, figures for 2019 (in % of total airtime) Seite 8 ZDF German Television | Facts and Figures 2020 ZDF thematic channels and funk. In addition to its main channel of in the respective channel profiles the same name, ZDF operates between 2009 and 2012, they two thematic channels. They have become promising assets were first launched on digital in our corporate strategy and in satellite in 1997 and have since audience response. Most re­ become increasingly prominent cently, ARD and ZDF have set up as more and more viewers have their non­linear service funk. gained access to digital televi­ sion. Following major changes ZDFneo is the more successful of the two. The channel’s schedule includes mainly German and international TV series (both reruns and original broadcasts) but also feature films, as well as some of the best and most innovative ZDF documentaries, comedy and talk shows. Like its thematic sister channel, ZDFneo has a much younger average audience than the main ZDF channel. ZDFinfo has the latest heute newscasts throughout the day and presents a wide range of factual programmes in the fields of politics, global and European affairs, current history, social issues, economics and consumer advice.