Country reference
- Country codes
- DE / DEU · M49 276
- Browsing region
- Europe
- Language options to specify
- German, Northern Frisian, English, French, Bavarian
- UN statistical subregion
- Western Europe
Choose German television by the programme’s purpose and region. ARD’s national news formats, regional television services and online library are distinct choices. For news, tagesschau provides a concise account while tagesthemen adds background and interpretation; neither automatically replaces the regional programme your family follows.
National news or regional reporting?
A household following a town or state needs the relevant regional programme as well as any national news. ARD’s own description separates regional television, radio and online services. A national ARD identity in a list therefore leaves an important question unanswered: which regional edition is present when local news begins? Include the state, town or actual regional programme title rather than relying on the German flag or an ARD group logo.
Tagesschau and tagesthemen answer different needs
Choose the news format deliberately. If you want the day’s main events in a short sequence, request the dated tagesschau edition. If you want a longer explanation or interview, identify tagesthemen and its edition. A short website video quoting an interview can be related to the same programme while omitting the conversation and surrounding context. Name the interviewee or issue when that part matters.
Turn a German evening into exact requests
For a mixed household, separate three requests: national news, a regional programme and a named drama, documentary or entertainment episode. Give each its own original title and date. A Mediathek catalogue entry is useful for locating a recording, but it does not identify the current live regional feed or establish that another provider has the same episode. Spoken German, subtitles and audio description also need to be checked on the individual programme.
| Viewing need | Exact request |
|---|---|
| National headlines from the opening | Name tagesschau, the edition and German date; request the whole bulletin rather than one shared report. |
| An explanation or extended interview | Name tagesthemen and the interviewee or issue; specify whether the surrounding programme is also needed. |
| A story from home | Give the region, town and programme; keep it separate from the national news request. |
Check the edition, not just the ARD tile
Keep the German broadcast date when arranging viewing abroad, especially for a late edition. Compare the opening title and edition against the request before spending time testing a whole category. If the national bulletin is correct but the regional section is wrong, describe that precise difference. It is a clearer problem to resolve than saying that German television does not work.
- Write one line for national news and one for the local programme.
- Match the region at the start of local coverage.
- Check the requested interview or episode from its opening.
Time-zone reference locations
Europe/BerlinEurope/Busingen
Use the location relevant to the viewer and the event date. IANA reference locations are not a count of distinct current offsets; do not apply one fixed offset to the whole country.
Sources and scope
- unstats.un.org · unsd/methodology/m49/overview
- cldr.unicode.org ·
- www.iana.org · time zones
- github.com · unicode org/cldr/tree/release 49/common
- hilfe.ard.de · artikel/fernsehprogramm im livestream
- hilfe.ard.de · mediathek/ueber die mediathek mt/sender in der ard mediathek
- faq.arte.tv · hc/fr/articles/15320446366620 Comment capter ARTE en Allemagne en langue fran%C3%A7aise
- www.ard.de · die ard/ard programmdirektion/ueber uns/verweildauer 102.html
- www.tagesschau.de · ueber uns
- www.ard.de · die ard/organisation der ard/verwendung des rundfunkbeitrags 100.html