Overview
- ARD and ZDF have decided that One, tagesschau24 and ARD alpha will stop linear broadcast on December 31, 2026, and the new channel structure takes effect on January 1, 2027.
- tagesschau24 will cease traditional TV distribution and continue online from 2027 with scheduled live blocks for morning, midday, evening and post-20:00 coverage, plus special live reporting available in the ARD Mediathek, on tagesschau.de, in apps and on YouTube.
- ZDFneo and ZDFinfo will be rebranded as joint services called "neo von ARD und ZDF" and "Info von ARD und ZDF" from January 2027 with ZDF in the lead, and neo is slated to become internet-only by early 2029 at the latest.
- The shutdown of One removes televised repeats of the telenovela Sturm der Liebe from 2027 and affects planned One productions, some of which will be made available through the ARD Mediathek instead of linear TV.
- The changes follow the Reformstaatsvertrag push to cut linear offerings and increase joint programming, build on earlier radio consolidations, and will alter how viewers using antenna, cable or satellite access public-broadcast content through a phased timetable stretching to 2033.