ARD and ZDF are two public service broadcasters in Germany. ARD is made up of a number of smaller, regional broadcasters whereas ZDF is more centralised and is based in Mainz-Lerchenberg.

Major shows such as Wetten Dass…? and Fernsehgarten are broadcast by ZDF, and the daily news Tagesschau is broadcast by ARD.

Besides their own channels, both are involved in other public service projects such as KiKa – a channel for childrens’ programmes.

To hear a simple explanation in German, listen to the podcast:

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