Overview

• The Federal Administrative Court’s 6th Senate heard the case in Leipzig on October 1 and scheduled its decision for October 15 at 14:00.
• Presiding judge Ingo Kraft emphasized that any breach must be shown across the full program, placing a heavy evidentiary burden on the plaintiff.
• Bayerischer Rundfunk defended on behalf of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio, arguing that questions of balance fall to the broadcasting councils rather than the courts.
• The plaintiff, an anonymous Bavarian woman, cites Media Tenor analyses and argues program complaints are largely ineffective, a claim BR disputes.
• Lower courts previously rejected the suit, noting the fee is tied to access rather than content, and the Constitutional Court upheld the levy in 2018 with later comments linking its durability to ensured plurality.