ARD Live

ARD (Association of German Regional Public-Service Broadcasters) was formed in 1950 as an umbrella body representing regional public service broadcasters across Germany. Established to represent their interests following decentralised postwar broadcasting services - in particular with regards to setting up a joint television network - it quickly become one of West Germany's primary organizations for representing broadcasting interests.

The ARD has an annual budget of EUR6.9 billion and employs 22,612 people - it is the world's largest public broadcaster network. Funding comes primarily from mandatory license fees that every household, company and public institution in Germany must pay regardless of television ownership; an ordinary household's monthly licence fee (as of 2023) stands at EUR18.36; households living on welfare are exempt. Fees are collected not directly by the ARD but through Beitrageservice (formerly Gebuhreneinzugszentrale GEZ), an organisation comprised by member broadcasters like ZDF as well as Deutschlandradio who together form Beitrageservice (formerly Gebuhreneinzugszentrale GEZ), an organisation shared amongst them all three public broadcasters as well as Deutschlandradio and Deutschlandradio; direct payments are also accepted by Beitragsservice (formerly Gebuhreneinzugszentrale GEZ).

ARD runs and operates a national television network known as Das Erste ("The First"), to differentiate it from ZDF - often referred to as "das Zweite" ("The Second") which began broadcasting separately as public TV broadcaster in 1963. Broadcasting began for ARD on 31 October 1954 under its original name of Deutsches Fernsehen ("German Television") before changing with corporate restructuring in 1984 to Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen ("First German Television"); its current short name (Das Erste) was adopted later on in 1994. Programming can be found over terrestrial, cable/sat or IPTV channels as well.

ARD produces two free-to-air channels (one and Tagesschau24) as well as contributing to the production of Phoenix (current events, news, documentaries), KiKa (kids programming), 3sat (cultural programming), arte (Franco-German cultural programming), and Funk (teenage-focused online only) television channels.

ARD programming is produced by its regional members (see Institutions and member organizations), including Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), Hessischer Rundfunk (HR), Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), Radio Bremen, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB), Saarlandischer Rundfunk (SR), Sudwestrundfunk (SWR) and Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), which collectively operate 54 regional radio stations as well as seven regional TV networks with opt-outs during their daytime operation. Deutsche Welle (German international broadcaster) also belongs to this association of which it belongs.