ZDF
ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen) is a nationwide television programme of the broadcaster of the same name. ZDF is the broadcaster with the widest reach in Germany, with a audience share of 14.6 % in 2023. In accordance with the coverage mandate formulated in Section 26 of the Interstate Media Treaty, the programme primarily includes news, entertainment, culture and sport.
Key Facts
| Audience Share | 14.6% |
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| Ownership Type | Public |
| Geographic Coverage | National |
| Content Type | Free |
| Passive Transparency | upon request, ownership data is easily available from the company/channel |
Ownership
| Ownership Structure | ZDF is one of the television programmes of the broadcaster of the same name. ZDF has no owner in the literal sense. As part of the public broadcasting system, the channel is financed by the public through a licence fee. |
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| Voting Rights | ZDF's management consists of the director general, the Editor-in-Chief and four Directors. According to the ZDF State Treaty, the director general is responsible "for the entire business of ZDF, including the organisation of the programmes". ZDF also has two central administrative bodies: The ZDF Board of Directors consists of twelve members, four of whom are delegated by the federal states and eight others are elected by the Television Council. These eight members must come from the Television Council. However, as simultaneous membership of both bodies is excluded, the eight elected members of the Administrative Board are no longer members of the Television Council from the time of their election. The ZDF Television Council consists of 60 members, 16 of whom are representatives of the federal states and two of whom are representatives of the federal government. A further 16 representatives for areas specified in the ZDF State Treaty (e.g. consumer protection, digital affairs, art and culture) are also delegated by the federal states. The remaining members are delegated by socially relevant groups such as churches, trade unions and non-governmental organisations. The current Federal Television Council is represented by the Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Lisa Paus, and the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Justice, Heiko Maaß. The Administrative Board generally passes its resolutions by a majority of the votes cast. Some resolutions, such as the conclusion of the service contract with the director general, require a majority of seven-twelfths of the votes of the statutory members. Votes are generally taken openly, but only by secret ballot at the request of a member. The Television Council generally passes its resolutions with a simple majority of the votes cast. However, some votes, such as the election of the director general, require a three-fifths majority of the statutory members. |
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Media Companies / Groups
Facts
| Founding Year | 1963 |
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| CEO |
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| Editor-In-Chief |
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| Contact | Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts ZDF-Straße 1 55127 Mainz Germany info@zdf.de 06131/70-0 |
| Revenue | Missing Data |
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| Operating Profit | Missing Data |
| Advertising (in % of total funding) | Missing Data |
| Market Share | Missing Data |
| Headlines |
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| Meta Data | The share of the total audience in per cent for the TV channels comes from AGF Videoforschung in cooperation with GfK 2023, retrieved via Meedia.de and refers to the average annual share of the total audience. Financial data is indicated as "Missing data", as a breakdown of finances is only provided at broadcaster level. Individual data on broadcasters is not published. Note on the transparency level: As it is not possible to categorise the transparency level for public service media in terms of ownership structures, the availability of information on the supervisory and control bodies as well as information on their members and transparency with regard to corporate shareholdings were included in the assessment. | |
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| Documents (PDF) |