Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (Second German Television, ZDF) was established in 1961 through a legal agreement among all the Länder. The headquarters of the corporation is located in Mainz.
ZDF closely cooperates with ARD and jointly operates several channels including ARTE (in cooperation with France), 3Sat (in cooperation with Austria and Switzerland), Kika, and Phoenix.
Media assets
Television: ZDF
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent Public (IP)
Ownership and governance
The Television Council is ZDF’s highest governing body. Its members work voluntarily to represent the interests of the general public at the broadcaster. The council also acts as an independent assessment and oversight body. Various social groups appoint members. The council holds its meetings in public, and all discussions are published online.
In addition to its role as a public advocate (see Editorial Independence below), the council also approves the budget adopted by the ZDF board of directors and the station’s annual financial statements.
The ZDF television council, established in 2016, comprises 60 members appointed under the ZDF State Treaty. This composition aims to ensure diversity and prevent political control. The television council elects the director of ZDF for a five-year term.
The board of directors is the subsequent highest authority at ZDF, with 12 members. Its tasks are primarily administrative and related to the station’s day-to-day operations. One of its main responsibilities is monitoring the station’s spending. Eight members of the board of directors are elected by the television council, and four are appointed by the federal states.
Source of funding and budget
ZDF and ARD are both funded primarily through the public license fee, with most of their budget coming from this source. ZDF receives around €5 per month from the total €18.36 paid by each German household to support public media.
In 2020, ZDF had a total budget of €2.2bn, according to the company’s data. More than 85% of this budget came from license fees. In 2021, ZDF’s budget increased to €2.35bn, almost 85% of that amount generated through public license fees. In 2022 and 2023, its budget was worth some €2.43bn and €2.5bn, respectively.
Editorial independence
Similarly to the ARD, the German Länder government or the Federal Government does not impose any rules that would infringe upon ZDF’s editorial independence. ZDF, like ARD, is well-respected as a journalism powerhouse, financially stable, independent, and fully accountable to the public.
Germany’s Basic Law guarantees the freedom of the press; however, no domestic statute specifically guarantees ZDF’s editorial independence.
Maintaining editorial independence is crucial for the station. Germans believe that the most effective way to ensure editorial freedom is through a funding and governance model. This model is based on public fees and a diverse governing body to prevent government interference.
The Television Council, which also holds decision-making authority in strategic and management appointments, serves as an advocate for viewers. Viewers can directly contact the council with complaints about programs. This structure guarantees that viewers are represented at the highest level at ZDF.
August 2024