rbb Fernsehen
rbb Fernsehen is the regional free-to-air television channel of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, serving Berlin and Brandenburg within Germany's ARD public-service broadcasting system.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
rbb Fernsehen, styled as rbb fernsehen, is a German free-to-air regional television channel owned and operated by Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB). It serves the federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg and forms part of the ARD network of regional public-service broadcasters. Within ARD, it occupies the role of a regional “third programme”: a channel that combines local and regional news with documentaries, cultural programming, entertainment, discussion formats, children’s television and selected sports coverage. The channel was created through the consolidation of the television operations of two predecessor broadcasters. On 1 May 2003, ORB-Fernsehen was renamed RBB Brandenburg, while SFB1 became RBB Berlin following the establishment of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg. For a transitional period, the two regional services continued to operate separately. Joint programming began on 10 November 2003 with formats including rbb um 6 and zibb – zuhause in Berlin und Brandenburg. The unified rbb Fernsehen service was introduced on 29 February 2004, completing the television-side integration of the former Brandenburg and Berlin broadcasters. A defining feature of rbb Fernsehen is its regional flexibility. The channel maintains a shared service while preserving distinct local perspectives through a daily regional window. At 7:30 p.m., viewers receive Brandenburg aktuell on transmitters serving Brandenburg and Berliner Abendschau on transmitters serving Berlin. This arrangement allows the channel to operate as a common regional broadcaster without eliminating the different information needs and identities of the two neighboring areas. Its programming has included established public-service genres as well as locally produced entertainment. The channel has carried regional news, science and environmental reporting, documentaries, cultural programs, talk shows, comedy and entertainment. Examples mentioned in connection with its programming history include Im Palais, Kurt Krömer’s own show, Berliner Nacht-Taxe, Kesslers Expedition, Das große Kleinkunstfestival, Die Abendshow and Thadeusz und die Beobachter. Children’s programming has included Sandmännchen and Die Sendung mit dem Elefanten. The channel has also been associated with the regional sports programme Sportplatz, which ran until 2017. rbb Fernsehen has occasionally produced or co-produced programming with broader national or international reach. The polar bear Knut’s first television appearance in a Berliner Abendschau report in January 2007 helped turn the animal into a major media phenomenon, leading to further documentaries by rbb and Das Erste. On 5 September 2009, rbb Fernsehen and Arte broadcast 24h Berlin, an around-the-clock documentary portraying Berlin in real time. The project was filmed one year earlier by numerous high-definition camera teams. The channel has periodically refreshed its visual identity and editorial presentation. It adopted a new design and the slogan Das volle Programm in 2012, emphasizing a broader mix of regional information, documentaries and entertainment. In 2017, another design update replaced that slogan with Bloß nicht langweilen. rbb Fernsehen began satellite distribution in high-definition 720p through Astra 19.2° East on 5 December 2013. As an RBB service, rbb Fernsehen is not a separately listed commercial company. Its public-service role, regional remit and integration into ARD distinguish it from privately owned German television channels. The brand’s core proposition is a shared Berlin-Brandenburg television service that combines local journalism and cultural relevance with the production standards and nationwide cooperation of Germany’s public broadcasting system.
History
rbb Fernsehen emerged from the reorganization of public broadcasting in Berlin and Brandenburg. Its immediate predecessors were ORB-Fernsehen, the television service associated with the Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg, and SFB1, the television service of Sender Freies Berlin. Following the creation of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, ORB-Fernsehen was renamed RBB Brandenburg on 1 May 2003, while SFB1 became RBB Berlin. These names reflected the new institutional structure but did not immediately eliminate the separate regional services. The transition toward a common channel began with shared programming. On 10 November 2003, the new joint formats rbb um 6 and zibb – zuhause in Berlin und Brandenburg went on air. The two services continued to transmit separate material during the transitional period, but the shared formats demonstrated the editorial and technical basis for a unified regional television operation. On 29 February 2004, the merger was completed and rbb Fernsehen became the common television channel for both Berlin and Brandenburg. The early years of the unified service combined regional information with cultural and entertainment programming. Im Palais was introduced in 2004, and Kurt Krömer began presenting his own show later that year. The channel also developed programming associated with Berlin’s urban life, including Berliner Nacht-Taxe, which began in 2006 and featured Michael Kessler traveling through Berlin. In January 2007, a Berliner Abendschau report on the polar bear Knut at Berlin Zoo became an important media moment. Knut’s popularity generated a wider body of documentary production by rbb Fernsehen and Das Erste. The channel also participated in ambitious documentary and cultural projects. On 5 September 2009, it joined Arte in broadcasting 24h Berlin, a 24-hour documentary depiction of Berlin. The production had been filmed exactly one year earlier by 80 camera teams in high definition, creating a real-time portrait of the city across a full day. Programming decisions in the late 2000s showed the tension between schedule renewal and continuity with established public-service formats. At the end of 2009, rbb announced that the cinema magazine Filmvorführer would end and that the long-running science and environmental programme Ozon would be restructured. Following protests, Ozon continued from May 2010 under the OZON unterwegs label as a thematic report format. In the same period, Brandenburg aktuell received a new design and studio, while Kesslers Expedition began in August 2010. The channel refreshed its presentation in August 2012 with a new design and the slogan Das volle Programm. The change was accompanied by an expanded emphasis on regional programming alongside documentaries and entertainment. A further identity update took place on 28 August 2017, when Bloß nicht langweilen replaced the previous slogan. rbb Fernsehen has retained a distinctive regional structure within its shared service. Each evening, the 7:30 p.m. regional window provides Brandenburg aktuell to Brandenburg transmitters and Berliner Abendschau to Berlin transmitters. This arrangement reflects the channel’s dual remit: it is one television service for the two federal states, but it continues to provide geographically specific news and perspectives. The channel expanded its technical distribution by beginning 720p high-definition satellite broadcasting via Astra 19.2° East on 5 December 2013. It remains an active RBB service and one of the regional third programmes offered within ARD.
- 2017
Bloß nicht langweilen identity launches
[1]A new visual identity and slogan replaced Das volle Programm on 28 August.
- 2013
HD satellite distribution begins
[1]rbb Fernsehen began 720p HD broadcasting via Astra 19.2° East on 5 December.
- 2012
Das volle Programm identity launches
[1]The channel introduced a new design and adopted Das volle Programm as its slogan on 13 August.
- 2010
Ozon continues in a restructured format
[1]After protests over its planned cessation, the science and environmental programme continued from May under the OZON unterwegs label.
- 2009
24h Berlin is broadcast
[1]rbb Fernsehen and Arte broadcast the 24-hour Berlin documentary 24h Berlin on 5 September.
- 2007
Knut becomes a major rbb television subject
[1]A Berliner Abendschau report featuring polar bear Knut helped trigger sustained public and media interest, followed by further documentaries.
- 2004
Unified rbb Fernsehen launches
[1]The separate regional television operations were merged into rbb Fernsehen on 29 February.
- 2003
Predecessor services receive RBB identities
[1]On 1 May, ORB-Fernsehen became RBB Brandenburg and SFB1 became RBB Berlin as part of the formation of the Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg structure.
- 2003
Joint programming begins
[1]The shared formats rbb um 6 and zibb – zuhause in Berlin und Brandenburg launched on 10 November.
Products and positioning
A public-service regional television channel combining Berlin- and Brandenburg-focused journalism, culture, entertainment and education within the ARD network.
News programming
Regional news
The channel’s core service is regional journalism for Berlin and Brandenburg. Its principal evening window separates the two regional perspectives: Brandenburg aktuell is distributed through Brandenburg transmitters, while Berliner Abendschau is shown through Berlin transmitters. Together they provide geographically targeted reporting within the shared rbb Fernsehen schedule.
Factual programming
Documentaries and reportage
rbb Fernsehen produces and broadcasts documentaries and reportages covering regional life, science, environmental subjects and major local stories. The channel’s factual output has included the reworked OZON unterwegs format and documentaries connected with Berlin’s polar bear Knut.
Entertainment programming
Entertainment and culture
The entertainment and cultural schedule has included formats such as Im Palais, Das große Kleinkunstfestival, Die Abendshow, Berliner Nacht-Taxe and Kesslers Expedition. These programmes reflect the channel’s regional public-service remit while using comedy, performance, travel and local observation to reach a broad audience.
Children's television · 2004
Children's programming
Children’s offerings listed for the channel include Sandmännchen, carried from 2004 onward, and Die Sendung mit dem Elefanten, carried from 2020 onward.
Talk shows · 2007
Talk programming
rbb Fernsehen has used talk formats to discuss political, social and cultural subjects. The listed examples include Dickes B., which ran from 2007 to 2012, and Thadeusz und die Beobachter, associated with presenter Jörg Thadeusz and listed from 2013 onward.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017Bloß nicht langweilen
Berlin · Brandenburg
A new visual identity replaced Das volle Programm with the slogan Bloß nicht langweilen, presenting the channel as a lively regional service rather than only a news broadcaster.
Outcome. The redesign became the channel’s subsequent documented brand presentation.
- 2012Das volle Programm
Berlin · Brandenburg
A channel identity and positioning campaign introduced a new design and the slogan Das volle Programm, emphasizing the breadth of rbb Fernsehen’s regional, documentary and entertainment offering.
Outcome. The identity remained in use until a subsequent redesign in 2017.
Brand decisions
2013
Launch of HD satellite broadcastingProduct launchBackground
The regional channel expanded its technical distribution as high-definition television became an established delivery standard.
Action taken
rbb Fernsehen began broadcasting in 720p HD via Astra 19.2° East on 5 December.
Aftermath
The service became available to satellite viewers in high-definition quality.
2009
Restructuring of Filmvorführer and OzonStrategyBackground
At the end of 2009, rbb announced the cessation of the cinema magazine Filmvorführer and plans to divide or reshape the science and environmental programme Ozon.
Action taken
Filmvorführer ended, while Ozon was continued after protests in a thematic report format under the OZON unterwegs label from May 2010.
Aftermath
The decision preserved a continuing science and environmental presence while changing its format and presentation.
Sources2 sources
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