Broadcasting Commission on ARD and ZDF: countries are pushing for a common platform

As of: 01/20/2023 7:02 p.m

The states want the reform ARD and ZDF advance. The Broadcasting Commission therefore called for more savings during its exam. In the future, the broadcasters are to play out content via a common platform.

The federal states have called for reforms of public service broadcasting. You propose a single large platform in Germany. One wants to get away from media and audio libraries, which were an intermediate form, said the coordinator of the state broadcasting commission and Rhineland-Palatinate media secretary, Heike Raab (SPD), after a two-day retreat by the commission in Rhineland-Palatinate.

She also referred to the common practice of Spotify and Netflix, for example, which bundled a large amount of content on one platform. Raab said: “We have identified over 100 apps in the public sector. That cannot be the solution either.”

have so far ARD and ZDF as well as Deutschlandradio’s own platforms, which also refer to offers from the other houses. The platform should be provided with a central access, said Raab. It is desirable that ARD and ZDF also the cultural channels 3 sat and kind into the common platform to strengthen European content, Raab said. The idea should then become more concrete in February at the next meeting.

At the same time, it was emphasized after the exam that the journalistic competition between ARD and ZDF was wanted to continue.

“RBB crisis destroyed trust”

The Broadcasting Commission also identified a loss of confidence in public service broadcasting. “The RBBThe crisis also destroyed trust in the summer, which must be regained,” said Raab, referring to Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg. It must be a matter of bringing public broadcasting into the digital age and improving quality at the same time.

Schenk: Eliminate duplicate structures

The current platform strategy of the public broadcasters can only be a first step, added the Saxon Media Minister Oliver Schenk (CDU). In the long term, the aim is to eliminate duplicate structures. Raab said the states also expect public broadcasters to take the opportunity to discontinue special interest channels and save as a result. The public broadcasters are given this opportunity by the Third Media Amendment State Treaty, which is currently being discussed in the state parliaments and is scheduled to come into force in the summer.

The media politicians also want to set up an advisory body for the future of public service broadcasting. A “Future Council” is to quickly draw up recommendations for reforms. Representatives from science and technology as well as creative people should come together there, explained Schenk. The Council should also work towards the acceptance of public service broadcasting. Specific names were not mentioned. The federal states would work out more precisely by February 15 who they want to appoint to the future commission, said Raab.

Hundreds of millions as a special reserve

Schenk said the federal states had not talked about merging public-law institutions. There are good reasons to stick to certain structures in the regions. However, the federal states hoped that the institutions would save money through more and better cooperation, which they in turn could put into the program. The states could not guarantee that the broadcasting fee would remain stable, said the CDU politician.

Raab added that the broadcasters should contribute a three-digit million amount to a one-off special reserve. This must then be used in the future against the background of contribution financing “of course contribution-reducing”. Both politicians did not want to comment on the future broadcast contribution. Here, the Commission for reviewing and determining the financial needs of the broadcasters (KEF) will make a recommendation in the future.

Gniffke: Reinforces the ARD on their course

Since RBB-The scandal surrounding allegations of nepotism at the top of the broadcaster has made criticism of public broadcasting louder again. In the course of this, the debate about merging transmitters came up again. Media policy in Germany is a matter for the federal states. The federal states set the rough framework of public law in state treaties. The broadcasters themselves are responsible for the program content.

From the ZDF one reaction said: One welcomes the “clear commitment of the federal states to public service broadcasting and to journalistic competition between ZDF and ARD”. That ZDF will get involved in the announced reform process and help shape it. the ARDChairman Kai Gniffke said: “The Broadcasting Commission is demanding more speed from us in building a public service platform for everyone everywhere in Germany. This strengthens the ARD on their way to more innovation, division of labor and reliable quality.” He is happy about this tailwind, which will be used to ARD “to change more permanently than ever before in its history”.

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