Arte (, , ; ' ('), sometimes stylised in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

. It is made up of three separate companies: the

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

-based European Economic Interest Grouping ( EEIG) ARTE, plus two member companies acting as editorial and programme production centres, ARTE France in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

(formerly known as La Sept) and ARTE Deutschland in

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

(a subsidiary of the two main public German TV networks ARD and

ZDF ZDF (), short for (; ), is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Launched on 1 April 1963, it is run as an independent nonprofit institution, and was founded by all federal states of Germany ( ...

). As an international joint venture (an EEIG), its programmes focus on audiences in both countries. Because of this, the channel has two audio tracks and two subtitle tracks, one each in French and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

. 80% of Arte's programming is provided by its French and German subsidiaries, each making half of the programmes. The remainder is provided by the European subsidiary and the channel's European partners. Selected programmes are available with English,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, Polish and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

subtitles online. In January 2021, Bruno Patino, President of ARTE France, became President of Arte EEIG whilst Peter Weber, Head of Legal Affairs at

, became Vice President. In the same year, the chairmanship of the General Assembly of ARTE EEIG was taken by Tom Buhrow, President of

Westdeutscher Rundfunk (; "West German Broadcasting Cologne"), shortened to WDR (), is a German public broadcasting, public-broadcasting institution based in the States of Germany, Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a const ...

(WDR) and Chairman of the German association of public broadcasters ARD. Nicolas Seydoux, President of Gaumont, became Vice-Chairman.

History

Arte was initiated as a symbol of Franco-German friendship and had been championed since 1988 by French President

François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...

and German Chancellor

Helmut Kohl Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (; 3 April 1930 – 16 June 2017) was a German politician who served as chancellor of Germany and governed the ''Federal Republic'' from 1982 to 1998. He was leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to ...

. It came to fruition on 2 October 1990, when an Interstate Treaty was signed between France and the German Länder. Arte began transmissions in 1992, filling frequencies left unused by the demise of

La Cinq La Cinq (, ) was a French free-to-air television channel. Created by politician Jérôme Seydoux and Italian media mogul Silvio Berlusconi, it existed from 1986 to 1992. The contract for France's fifth terrestrial network, which was suppos ...

, the first French commercial television network (created in 1986). The opening night on 30 May 1992 was broadcast live from the Strasbourg Opera House. Arte started as an evening-only service. In the daytime, its frequencies were shared with other channels. A public channel called ''Télé Emploi'' occupied the French frequencies for about a month in 1994, before the start of La Cinquième (''now

France 5 France 5 () is a French free-to-air public television channel, part of the France Télévisions group. Principally featuring nonfiction and educational programming, the channel's motto is ''la chaîne de la connaissance et du savoir'' (the knowl ...

'') in December that year. For viewers in Germany, Arte was assigned a frequency on the Astra 1D satellite in late 1994, and it was eventually shared with Nickelodeon Germany, later replaced by the new public children's channel

Kika Kika may refer to: People * Kika de la Garza (1927–2017), American politician * Kika Edgar (born 1985), Mexican actress and singer * Kika Karadi (born 1975), American contemporary artist * Kika Markham (born 1940), English actress * Kika M ...

. In 1996, it started offering an afternoon schedule with reruns for viewers on digital satellite and digital cable. A "proper" afternoon schedule with programmes between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. was introduced on 6 January 2001. The channel eventually got its own analogue frequency on the Astra satellites. Arte has been broadcasting 24/7 since 2005. In 2007 the online catch-up service ARTE+7 was launched and offers free access to a broad range of programs within seven days of their original transmission. In October 2020, Arte marked 30 years since the signing of its founding treaty between France and Germany.

Transmission and reception

ARTE programmes are available with multi-channel audio: all programmes are broadcast in French and German. In addition, whenever possible the original version is offered with French and German subtitles and the hearing or visually impaired may get subtitles or

audio description Audio description (AD), also referred to as a video description, described video, or visual description, is a form of narration used to provide information surrounding key visual elements in a media work (such as a film or television program, or ...

. Since 2015 a selection of programmes have been available online which include English and Spanish subtitles. Polish was to follow in late 2016. The channel is widely available in Europe. Both the German and the French versions can be received in nearly all of Europe via satellite Astra1 (19, 2° East) and the French version is also available via

Hot Bird Hot Bird (also styled Hotbird) is a group of satellites operated by Eutelsat, located at 13 °E over the equator ( orbital position) and with a transmitting footprint over Asia, Europe, North Africa, Americas and the Middle East. Only digital r ...

(13° East). ARTE is also relayed by all cable networks in Germany and France. It is also available on numerous cable networks in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Arte has been broadcast since 2008 in HD in Germany and France. Like the national channels of their own respective countries, the German

HDTV High-definition television (HDTV) describes a television or video system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since at least 1933; in more recent times, it ref ...

version of ARTE broadcasts in 720p50, while the French one broadcasts in 1080i25. Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE), a subsidiary of

RTL Group RTL Group S.A. ("Radio Télévision Luxembourg") is a Luxembourg-based international media conglomerate, with another corporate office in Cologne, Germany. The company operates 56 television channels and 36 radio stations in Germany, France an ...

and located in Luxembourg (formerly known as CLT-UFA and before its merger with UFA, the Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion), provides most of the technical services for Arte. In April 2016 Arte co-produced, (with Astra satellite owner, SES) a live

Ultra-high-definition television Ultra-high-definition television (also known as Ultra HD television, Ultra HD, UHDTV, UHD and Super Hi-Vision) today includes 4K resolution#Resolutions, 4K UHD and 8K resolution#Resolutions, 8K UHD, which are two digital video formats with an ...

broadcast of the

Le Corsaire ''Le Corsaire'' is a ballet typically presented in three acts, with a libretto originally created by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges loosely based on the poem '' The Corsair'' by Lord Byron. Originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to ...

ballet from the Vienna State Opera. The programme was transmitted free-to-air on the UHD1 demonstration channel from the Astra 19.2°E satellites. In July 2016, the Italian public broadcaster RAI Com signed a partnership agreement with Arte to collaborate on coproductions and programme acquisitions. In November 2016, the Irish public television

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

signed a partnership agreement with Arte to produce programmes related to arts, culture and history as well as web content for ARTE Concert and ARTE in English. Arte also has agreements with

Yle Yleisradio Oy (; ), abbreviated as Yle () (formerly styled in all uppercase until 2012), translated into English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founded in 1926. It is a joint-stock comp ...

(Finnish public broadcasting) and Film Fund Luxembourg (a national fund that supports Luxembourgish audiovisual productions). Arte programmes can be streamed live or watched on catch-up TV for at least 7 and up to 700 days on the arte.tv platform and on ARTE Concert.

International

In Africa Arte is broadcast via

satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

and

MMDS Multichannel multipoint distribution service (MMDS), formerly known as broadband radio service (BRS) and also known as wireless cable, is a wireless telecommunications technology, used for general-purpose broadband networking or, more commonly ...

, and in many other countries via the digital service CanalSat Horizons. Many French-language Arte programmes are also broadcast in Canada on the

Ici ARTV Ici ARTV (stylized as ICI artv) is a Canadian French language specialty channel owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (known in French as Société Radio-Canada). The channel broadcasts the arts and culture including music, dance, theat ...

cable channel, the majority-owned by the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

(85%) and Arte itself (15%). The Australian

Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from tax revenue. SBS operates six TV channels (SBS (Australian TV chann ...

translates many Arte programmes into English for broadcast on its own

television network A television broadcaster or television network is a telecommunications network for the distribution of television show, television content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations, pay television providers or ...

and overseas. In the United Kingdom, Arte, as well as many of its programmes, are available to watch via Learning on Screen.

Market share

Arte usually has more viewers in France than in Germany. In 2015, its share of overall viewing was about 2.2% in France and about 1% in Germany. Before cable and satellite became widely used in France, Arte was available to almost everyone as one of six analogue terrestrial channels. The other five channels were not direct competitors to Arte. In Germany, widespread cable and satellite penetration meant the vast majority of German households had access to about three dozen channels, including several from public broadcasters with content similar to that seen on Arte.

Programming

* ''

The Human Adventure ''The Human Adventure'' is a game written by William F. Denman, Jr. and published by Med Systems Software in 1980 for the TRS-80 and Apple II Apple II ("apple Roman numerals, two", stylized as Apple ][) is a series of microcomputers manufac ...

'' – documentary series (1997–present) * ''Arte Journal'' – news program (1992–present) * ''Arte Reportage'' – current affairs program (2004–present) * ''Arte Themenabend'' – themed evenings * ''A Very Secret Service'' – spy comedy (2015–2018) * ''The Boys from Baghdad High'' – documentary film * ''Die Nacht/La Nuit'' – late-night news * ''Do Not Track (documentary), Do Not Track'', a 2015 Arte co-produced web documentary * ''

Durch die Nacht mit … (Into the Night with ...) is a German documentary film television series produced by ZDF for Franco-German television channel ARTE. Locations are mainly in France or Germany. The title of the French version is ''Au cœur de la nuit''. Two cele ...

'' (2002–present) * ''Geo 360°'' (1999–present) * '' Karambolage'' – a show about French/German customs (2004–present) * ''Kurzschluss'' (2001–present) * ''Metropolis'' (2001–present) * '' Mapping the World'' – geopolitical documentary (1992–present) * ''Tracks'' – music program (1997–present) * '' TV Around the World'' – documentary-magazine series (2005–2011) * ''WunderWelten'' (2005–2009) * '' Venice New Year's Concert'' (2016–present)

Series

* ''

1864 Events January * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song "Beautiful Dream ...

'' (2015) * '' Ad Vitam'' (2018) * ''

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

'' (2014) * '' Apple Tree Yard'' (2018) * '' Blow Up'' (2010–present) * '' Borgen'' (2012–2015) * ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...

'' – Award-winning American drama series (2010–2015) * ''

Capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

'' (2017) * '' Captain Alatriste'' (2015, 2017) * '' DCI Banks'' (2012–2016) * '' Den fjärde mannen '' (2017) * '' Eyewitness (Øyevitne)'' (2015, 2017) * '' Fatale-Station '' (2017) * '' Fortitude'' (2017) * '' Gomorrha'' (2015, 2017) * '' Hatufim'' (2013–2016) * ''

Hierro El Hierro (), nicknamed ''Isla del Meridiano'' (the "Meridian Island"), is the farthest south and west of the Canary Islands (an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain), in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, wit ...

'' (2019, 2021) * '' Hotel Beau Séjour'' (2017) * '' Im Angesicht des Verbrechens'' (2010–2011, 2013) * '' Jekyll'' (2009–2010) * '' Kidnap and Ransom'' ''(Der Jäger – Geld oder Leben)'' (2015) * '' Kommissarin Lund'' ''(Forbrydelsen)'' (2010–2012, 2014–2015, 2017) * ''Les quatre soeurs'' (2018) * '' Lilyhammer'' (2014, 2016) * ''Maroni'' (2018) * ''

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

'' (2013–2014) * '' National Treasure'' (2018) * '' Occupied (Okkupert)'' (2015, 2018) * ''Paris'' (2015) * ''

Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1920s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to working-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racke ...

'' (2015–present) * '' Points de Repères '' (2016–2017) * '' Rectify'' (2014–2015) * ''

River A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

'' (2018) * '' The Darwinners'' (''Silex and the City'') (2012–2017) * '' Suburban Shootout'' (2010) * '' The Code'' (2015, 2017) * '' The Hour'' (2013) * '' The Slap (2011)'' (2013, 2015) * '' The Spiral'' (2012, 2017) * '' Transferts '' (2017) * ''Virage Nord'' ''(Nordkurve)'' (2014–2015) * ''

Wolf Hall ''Wolf Hall'' is a 2009 historical novel by English author Hilary Mantel, published by Fourth Estate, named after the Seymour family's seat of Wolfhall, or Wulfhall, in Wiltshire. Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, ''Wolf Hall'' is a sym ...

'' (2016–2017)

Online

arte.tv

arte.tv is the channel's streaming service. It is accessible from browsers and Arte apps for smartphones and smart TVs. Arte.tv programmes are organised by theme or genre. They include feature films, documentaries and documentary cinema covering topics such as social affairs, the arts, history, nature and science, series, short and TV films, music and theatre performances, magazine shows, reportage and news, and web-based formats. Arte's first digital effort was called ARTE+7, launched in September 2007. Initial it was a catch-up service, allowing viewers to watch ARTE programmes up to seven days after they were broadcast on television. arte.tv has also been available for streaming in Germany and France since 2012. Most programmes can be streamed from 5 am on the morning of broadcast and remain available on replay for up to 90 days, sometimes longer. Some programmes are made available online ahead of transmission. Most of arte.tv now consists of web-only content. Arte also has a podcast site, called ''Arte Radio''. Most of its programmes are in French. ARTE Extra is a new feature, launched in

HbbTV Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) is both an industry standard ( European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) TS 102 796) and promotional initiative for hybrid digital television to harmonise the broadcast, Internet Protocol Televi ...

in 2020. Arte Extra provides four "smart playlists" related to different topics such as society, discovery and music which are put together from programmes available on arte.tv. The playlists can be accessed by pushing the red button on the remote control. An annual Arte film festival takes place online in December. It promotes the European film d'auteur scene and presents films of young directors accessible in 45 European countries in ten different languages. Each month, the "ArteKino Selection" offers one film available in six languages on arte.tv.

ARTE in six languages

Since November 2015 Arte has been making selected programme content – above all documentaries, magazines and live arts – available online with English and

subtitles. Since November 2016 a selection of programmes have featured Polish subtitles.

subtitles have been provided since June 2018. This online service is co-funded by the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

, enabling 70% of Europeans to watch ARTE in their native language.

ARTE Concert

ARTE Concert (known until 2014 as Arte Live Web) streams a selection of new and recent stage performances. These might be Arte co-productions or recordings by partners, including major venues and independent companies, festivals, and autonomous artists, producers and websites. Genres covered include opera, rock music, theatre, chamber music, jazz and electronic music. Apart from plays and concerts, it also offers backstage reports, exclusive interviews with performers and key figures at various festivals, and extracts from dress rehearsals. The livestreaming platform United We Stream was launched in 2020 in response to the closure of venues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Every day DJs and concerts are streamed live from empty clubs to audiences around the world in partnership with a wide range of performers. ARTE Concert streams more than 900 live shows and replays a year. In 2018, Arte launched its online opera season. As part of ARTE Concert, it provides access to new opera productions from various European opera houses by live stream or video on demand in six different languages via subtitles. The 2020/2021 opera season featured 21 opera houses from 12 European countries with both classic and contemporary productions.

Digital productions

ARTE produces digital games, for example Bury Me, My Love.

Former themed platforms

In 2009, ''ARTE Concert'' (formerly Arte Live Web) was launched, an online platform providing live broadcasts of festivals and concerts. In 2017, the arte.tv platform absorbed the themed platforms ''ARTE Creative'', ''ARTE Future'', ''ARTE Info'' and ''ARTE Cinema'', which previously were separate units. ''ARTE Concert'' is still organised as a separate brand integrated into Arte's online architecture. ARTE-LIVE-ORANGE-RVB.svg, ''Arte Live'' logo ARTE-+7-ORANGE-RVB.svg, ''Arte+7'' logo ARTE-INFO-BLEU-PANTONE.jpg, ''Arte Info'' logo ARTE-FUTURE-BLEU-RVB.svg, ''Arte Future'' logo ARTE-CREATIVE-VERT-RVB.svg, ''Arte CREATIVE'' logo ARTE-CONCERT-ROSE-RVB.jpg, ''Arte Concert'' logo ARTE-CINEMA.jpg, ''Arte Cinema'' logo

Logos

File:ARTE logo 1989.png, Arte's first logo, used from 30 May 1992 until 2 January 1995 File:Arte-Logo.svg, Arte's second and current logo since 2 January 1995 File:Logo-arte-schief.svg, Alternate version of the 1995 logo, used from 3 January 2004 until 27 February 2011 File:Arte Logo 2011.svg, Orange version of the 1995 logo, used from 28 February 2011 until 24 March 2017 File:Arte Logo HD 2011.png, HD logo, used since 10 June 2010 File:Arte Logo 2017.svg, 90° rotated version of the 1995 logo, used since 25 March 2017

Awards

In the course of the channel's history, Arte productions and coproductions have received a number of important film awards, including several

Oscars The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence i ...

, Palmes d'Or (Cannes Film Festival),

Golden Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...

Golden Lion The Golden Lion () is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguished prizes. In 1970, a ...

Golden Leopard The Golden Leopard () is the top prize at the Locarno International Film Festival, an international film festival held annually in Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. Directors in the process of getting an international reputation are allowed to b ...

César Award Cesar or César may refer to: Arts and entertainment * César (film), ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama * César (film), ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt Places * Cesar, Portugal * Cesar Department, Colombia * Cesar R ...

s for Best Film and Best Documentary Film as well as Lolas in gold for the best film and the best documentary. In 2016, PRIX EUROPA awarded Arte the "Lifetime Achievement Award" in honour of "extraordinary achievements in the European media world".

References

External links

ARTE WebsiteARTE Corporate Website

ARTE RadioARTE's non free VoD serviceARTE's non free VoD service
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