Radical changes at ARD: That comes to viewers 

Classic television is out, streaming is in - this is also the case with ARD.

The public broadcaster network is therefore planning a “major change”.

Hanover – At ARD, the “biggest change in the history of the broadcasting network” is imminent.

The broadcasting group announced this on its website as a result of a meeting in Hanover in early February.

An essential part of this change at the television giant: strengthening the digital offer in the future - to the detriment of the linear program.

How exactly this large-scale change process should look like is not explained in more detail in the ARD announcement.

However, in the future, a large part of the financial resources will flow into the digital offers.

According to this, around 250 million euros are to be reallocated from the budget of the linear program by 2028 in order to be able to "fulfill the educational mandate even better in the digital world".

In the past, more than 150 million euros per year have already been released for this.

This is reported by fr.de.

250 million euros for digital offers - ARD invests in "Future of Journalism"

According to the ARD, the aim of this shift is to be able to offer programs with more in-depth research in the future.

According to: quality instead of quantity?

Remains to be seen.

In any case, all stations in the network should work together more closely after some TV stations in public broadcasting had recently been on the brink of collapse.

A steering group of eleven ARD internal experts is to be formed, and cross-media journalistic competence centers are to be set up.

ARD initially wants to focus on the four areas of radio plays, health, climate and consumers.

Other topics are to be added.

So is the future of public service television digital?

ARD chairman Kai Gniffke expresses the change in the broadcasting association at least as follows: “The future of journalism is being worked on in the ARD machine room.

We create the concrete conditions for the new ARD, which bundles its strengths with a view to the needs of the people".

Within a year, the changes to “this new ARD” should already take shape.

ARD media library more and more in demand: From autumn 2023, use should become more personalized and regional

At least in the area of ​​the ARD media library, one can guess what these contours might look like.

Their use should become "significantly more convenient" - also in the course of growing demand - at the latest in the second half of 2023, as ARD program director Christine Strobl announced.

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Is this the future of television?

The ARD media library.

(symbol photo)

© Joko/Imago

Users of other streaming services, such as Netflix or Amazon Prime, are familiar with the platform's personalized suggestions.

Shows, documentaries, and films based on previous usage are displayed under "Recommendations for you".

The ARD media library is also to be personalized in a similar way.

In addition, it should also address the regional preferences of the users.

The first changes were made here in the summer of 2022, when the online offerings of an ARD broadcaster were discontinued

Changes in the ARD in the sense of the zeitgeist?

Streaming usage is increasing

Has the broadcasting association thus recognized the signs of the times?

At least that's how the results of the ARD/ZDF online study from 2022 can be interpreted: Four out of five people in Germany use the Internet every day, and their entertainment through streaming services is increasing.

According to the study, users aged 14 and over spend an average of 160 minutes a day with media content on the web, of which an average of 76 minutes a day on online services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime or YouTube and media libraries.

An increase of twelve minutes over the previous year.

And unsurprisingly, younger people spend more time online than older people.

While younger people – their exact age is not given – spend almost five hours with media content on the Internet, people over 70 only spent a good three quarters of an hour.

(Romina Kunze)

List of rubrics: © Joko/Imago