Overview
- The change covers satellite and cable distribution for five channels: ZDF, ZDFinfo, ZDFneo, 3sat and KiKA.
- Industry monitoring by ASTRA indicates roughly 2.5 million households still lack HD reception.
- Consumer advisers say most viewers can run a channel search if their TV or receiver is not older than about ten to twelve years.
- Older setups may require an external HD receiver costing about €30 to €50 or, in some cases, a new TV.
- The move follows ARD’s January 2025 SD switch-off, and major cable operators such as Vodafone and Pyur are also phasing out SD this year.