Roberto Suarez Candel

Abstract by Dr. Roberto Suárez Candel, Marie Curie Research Fellow Hans Bredow Institute for Media Research at the University of Hamburg Germany

THE OFFERS OF PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA IN GERMANY

The German public broadcasters are among the most innovative in Europe, as shown by their involvement in the latest and most relevant technical improvements within the broadcasting market. This capability for evolution is ensured by legislation, which considers the public service to be a crucial and necessary element of the media system whose role can only be ensured if technological innovation is a core element of its activities. As a result, German public broadcasters benefit from technological innovation, also in the online sphere, and they are developing new contents and formats in order to inform, entertain and educate their audiences. Thanks to this, German public broadcasters are still the leaders as regards audience share and they are also a trusted source of information for citizenship.

The transition from analogue to digital broadcasting on the terrestrial platform resulted in the launch of new channels that increased and diversified the public service offer. Public operators are also available on satellite, cable and IPTV platforms, while ARD and ZDF are also present in WebTv initiatives like Zattoo. In addition, public broadcasters are progressively adding high definition contents to their offers.

The German public broadcasters are also very active in the online sphere. They have developed their own web portals, which offer a wide and diverse range of services. Special attention should be paid to their Mediatheken (archives), which allow users to have on-demand access to the programmes offered on the public channels. Moreover, podcasts, rss services and newsletters linked to broadcasted contents are available and German public broadcasters are very active in the field of online social networking. Among other services, they have developed their own Facebook pages and YouTube channels.

Another field in which public broadcasters are very active is the convergence between broadcast and broadband. In association with the Institut für Rundfunktechnik (IRT), ARD and ZDF are active partners of the HbbTV project (Hybrid broadband broadcast television). The latter has become one of the main European initiatives in the field of online services accessible via the television set. As a result, German public service operators are among the first in Europe to supply hybrid television services.

Finally, one must not fail to mention the public service activities regarding the design of applications for smart-phones and tablets. After obtaining a positive result at the ‘Three-step-test’, ARD has released services for smart-phones and tablets. This has resulted in heated debate and controversy within the German media sphere.

My presentation will provide a detailed systematization and description of the offer of contents and services provided by public service operators in Germany. This will allow us to identify the main innovation trends as well as the strategies used to adapt to the new online and multiplatform media ecology.