Overview
- Lawmakers passed the reform and a separate youth-media protection treaty 45–39, with CDU votes offsetting a mostly No vote from BSW; AfD also opposed.
- BSW Finance Minister Robert Crumbach backed the treaties against his faction’s line, three recently departed BSW members left the chamber, and ex-BSW MP Reinhard Simon voted No.
- Brandenburg was the sixteenth and final state to ratify the package, a requirement without which the nationwide reform would have failed.
- The reform directs ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio to slim linear offerings and collaborate more, nearly halves niche TV channels, reduces radio networks from about 70 to 53, limits online text publishing and caps sports-rights spending.
- The financing question remains unresolved as the monthly fee stays at 18.36 euros for now, a KEF-recommended increase is pending, and a constitutional ruling is expected in 2026.