TV favorites are thrown out the door
A rejuvenation cure is pending at ZDF. Many popular TV programs have to go, the broadcaster wants to invest 100 million euros in the development of new formats. ZDF has been heavily criticized for this.
Light and shadow are close together on ZDF. With a market share of 14.5 percent, Mainz was the most popular television station in Germany in 2022 – at least for the overall audience. With young viewers, however, ZDF lags behind the competition. In order to change that, ZDF is investing 100 million euros in formats for younger audiences and saving the money elsewhere.
ZDF discontinues “SOKO Hamburg” and “Last Spur Berlin”.
To the Red Pen Victims include the two popular crime series “SOKO Hamburg” and “Last Track Berlin” (Source: DWDL). The result of the strategic shift is the end of successful programs. “That’s why we decided to start the crime series ‘SOKO Hamburg’ and ‘Letzte Spur Berlin’ in favor of developing new formats. Saying goodbye to two such successful formats is not easy for us,” says ZDF program director Nadine Bilke.
SOKO Hamburg has been running since 2018 and will receive a final sixth season with 13 episodes this year. Last Track Berlin has been part of the program since 2012. The 13th season with twelve episodes will be filmed this year.
With streaming you are your own program director:
“People Today” has to go too
The rejuvenation at ZDF does not only stop at thrillers. Also the celebrity magazine “People today”which celebrated its 25th anniversary just last year, is set (Source: DWDL). Until at the end of September at the latest should people get out of the program today. The open broadcasting time is initially filled by the tabloid magazine “Hallo Deutschland”, which will be extended and expanded to include celebrity news in the future.
Presenter Karen Webb (photo above) accepts the omission with composure: “For me as the presenter of the show, it’s a shame. But when one door closes, a new one opens,” said the 51-year-old in BILD am Sonntag. Nina Ruge, who moderated the show from 1997 to 2007, sees things very differently. According to her, the show “fell from full gallop into the abyss: such a successful show suddenly gone and with it the glitter effect in the afternoon,” said the 66-year-old of the BILD newspaper (via T-Online).
