“The digital future belongs to on-demand television,” ZDF Director General Markus Schächter said during the presentation in Hall 6.2. On-demand television, independent of place and time, was “television on the internet and a useful complement to our main business, linear real-time television.” Individual access to ZDF programmes from the previous seven days would finally make the viewer “sovereign,” able to decide when, how, and where to watch a programme.
The new ZDFmediathek presents videos in television quality, either after transmission on the main channel or in advance of their television broadcast. It uses the same interface on a PC, television, or mobile device. Its open video standard is designed to support all common operating systems. “This makes us the European leader and also lets us define the technological standards for on-demand television in Europe,” Schächter said.
ZDF Programme Director Thomas Bellut helped launch the service at IFA alongside television presenters Maybrit Illner and Yvonne Trojek, show host Johannes B. Kerner, heute-journal anchor Claus Kleber, magazine presenter Theo Koll, and actor Wolfgang Stumph, known as “Stubbe.” “heute” anchor Steffen Seibert hosted the premiere and joined his television colleagues in demonstrating the new options and navigation through the digital television service.
