Funk is a German

video-on-demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typical static broadcasting ...

service, operated by the public broadcasters 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 ( ...

. SWR, a regional ARD member, is responsible for the service. Funk describes itself as a "content network". The target group is people between the age of 14 and 29.

History

The director of SWR, Peter Boudgoust, advocated for a public service offer for the target audience in 2011. On 27 November 2012, SWR expressed a wish to merge EinsPlus with

ZDFkultur ZDFkultur (stylized as zdf.kultur) was a German free-to-air television channel owned by ZDF. It was launched on 7 May 2011, replacing ZDF theaterkanal. It mainly broadcast music shows, such as ''Later... with Jools Holland'', pop concerts and s ...

. The new station created by this merger would be produced jointly by ARD and ZDF and primarily target a young audience. ZDF expressed caution, pointing out that this would require a decision by politicians. However, ZDF had already made a similar statement in advance and did not rule out, for example, a discontinuation of ZDFkultur in favor of a joint youth channel.

About

Funk is aimed at people between the ages of 14 and 29, who rarely access the

traditional media Old media, also called traditional media or legacy media, are the mass media institutions that dominated prior to the internet; particularly print media, film studios, music studios, advertising agencies, radio broadcasting, and television. Ol ...

used for

public broadcasting Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive f ...

. Two thirds of the project's funding is provided by ARD and one third by ZDF. Funk produces over 70 programs for social media platforms, such as

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Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

Snapchat Snapchat is an American multimedia social media and instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of the app are that pictures and messages, known as "snaps", are usually availa ...

, and the funk.net web app, as well as publishing

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such as ''

Bundesfighter II Turbo ''Bundesfighter II Turbo'' () is a parody fighting game, developed by Austrian studio Colour Colliders on behalf of Germany, German satire format Browser Ballet and published by Funk (service), funk in 2017. While drawing inspiration from Capcom, ...

''. These are distributed on their own channels or accounts. The programs focus on information and entertainment. In addition, some series are distributed under license, sometimes in their original English versions. Programs are produced by various private production companies, the company's own production companies or by the broadcasters themselves. The funk network is subject to the

Interstate Broadcasting Agreement The (), abbreviated as , is the nationwide law for radio station and television licensing in the Federal Republic of Germany. Based on the (sovereignty of the German states in terms of cultural aspects) it is not a federal law but instead it ...

. This includes a review of all broadcasts at least every six months.

References

External links

* {{ARD/ZDF 2016 establishments in Germany ARD (broadcaster) Companies based in Mainz German companies established in 2016 German-language television stations Internet properties established in 2016 Internet television streaming services Mass media companies established in 2016 Mass media in Mainz Organisations based in Mainz Publicly funded broadcasters Subscription video on demand services Südwestrundfunk Television networks in Germany Television stations in Germany ZDF