ARD PLUS STREAMING SERVICE

ARD Plus brings together current highlights and moving contemporary history. As a commercial streaming service with a public service programming focus, we ensure that new quality content finds its place and timeless classics are preserved.

ARD Plus

Our streaming service ARD Plus combines the best of both worlds. Current, popular ARD productions, such as the long-running hit series Sturm der Liebe or the cult crime comedy Mord mit Aussicht, meet highlights from around 75 years of public television history. These include cult series such as Lindenstraße, the largest Tatort archive, as well as timeless children’s classics and documentaries. For legal reasons, much of the content on ARD Plus is no longer available in the ARD media library. ARD Plus ensures that these productions are preserved for the long term and remain accessible to the public.

The ARD Plus program is complemented by high-quality, award-winning content from our third-party label partners. For example, films and series such as The Imitation Game and Call my Agent! give our subscribers special moments – perfect content for anyone who loves captivating stories, strong characters, and international quality productions. By combining the latest productions with timeless classics, ARD Plus offers the full spectrum of high-quality television.

Whether you’re relaxing at home on your TV or on the go with your laptop, tablet, or smartphone, ARD Plus is available as a standalone streaming platform on the web and as an app on mobile devices and TVs. In addition, ARD Plus is already integrated into the basic MagentaTV package and is available as a channel that can be booked on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and other platforms.

In addition, we offer carefully curated and thematically focused channels from the ARD Plus portfolio, including license partnerships such as the FAST channels ARD Plus Lindenstraße and ARD Plus Krimi. This allows us to create a diverse streaming portfolio – from subscription models to freely accessible channels with advertising.

Would you like to get to know ARD Plus? Then try our service now for 14 days completely free of charge.

Try ARD Plus now for 14 days free of charge

After that, €4.99 (including VAT) per month. Cancellable on a monthly basis.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ARD Plus and ARD Mediathek? Why is ARD Plus subject to a fee?

ARD Plus is an optional commercial add-on service that is not funded by licence fees. Similar to the sale of a DVD, the service incurs editorial and technical costs. Among other things, producers and authors must also be remunerated for the additional uses. In addition, like any other video-on-demand service, ARD Plus must acquire licences for the provision of the titles.

Further information: www.tagesschau.de/faktenfinder/ard-plus-101.html

Why is there an additional paid service from ARD? Doesn't that mean users are paying twice?

Contributors do not pay twice. The broadcasting licence fee finances television and radio programmes as well as the telemedia services offered by public broadcasters. ARD Plus, on the other hand, is an additional commercial service that is subject to a fee. ARD Plus picks up where ARD can no longer offer content because broadcasting regulations stipulate that it can only be offered for a limited period of time. In addition, there are programmes for which the ARD media library has only acquired rights for a limited period of time because it was not possible to acquire longer-term rights on reasonable terms. ARD Plus is subject to a fee because – similar to the sale of a DVD, for example – the service incurs costs, rights must be acquired, and producers and authors must be remunerated for additional uses.

Further information: www.tagesschau.de/faktenfinder/ard-plus-101.html

What is the revenue from ARD Plus used for?

As stipulated in the State Media Treaty (Medienstaatsvertrag), the regional broadcasters of the ARD can, as rights holders, generate income from the commercial exploitation of their programmes through their exploitation subsidiaries. Such income from commercial activities (after deduction of costs) is classified as other income (similar to advertising, sponsorship, etc.) and is taken into account by the broadcasting corporations when determining their financial requirements.

You can read about how ARD’s total income is distributed here:

www.ard.de/die-ard/organisation-der-ard/finanzen-der-ard-einnahmen-und-ausgaben-100.html

Do you have any further questions?

FURTHER INFORMATION