Funk (service)

Funk
Type of site	Video on demand
Available in	German
Headquarters	Mainz, Germany
Area served	Germany
Key people	Florian Hager, Sophie Burkhardt
Services	Streaming service
Parent	ARD; ZDF;
URL	www.funk.net
Launched	1 October 2016
Current status	Active

Funk is a German video-on-demand service, operated by the public broadcasters ARD and ZDF. SWR, a regional ARD member, is responsible for the service.^[1] Funk describes itself as a "content network". The target group is people between the age of 14 and 29.^[2]

History

The director of SWR, Peter Boudgoust [de], advocated for a public service offer for the target audience in 2011.^[3] On 27 November 2012, SWR expressed a wish to merge EinsPlus with ZDFkultur. The new station created by this merger would be produced jointly by ARD and ZDF and primarily target a young audience.^[4] 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 used for public broadcasting. Two thirds of the project's funding is provided by ARD and one third by ZDF.^[5]

Funk produces over 70 programs for social media platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, Snapchat, and the funk.net web app, as well as publishing browser games such as Bundesfighter II Turbo. These are distributed on their own channels or accounts.^[2] The programs focus on information and entertainment.^[6] 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. This includes a review of all broadcasts at least every six months.^[7]

References

^ "Impressum of funk". funk.net (in German). funk. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Das ist funk" [We are funk]. funk.net (in German and English). funk. 8 March 2021. Archived from the original on 2024-05-19. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
^ "SWR-Intendant Boudgoust wiedergewählt". Hannoversche Allgemeinen Zeitung (in German). June 10, 2011. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
^ "ARD will neuen Jugendkanal schaffen – EinsPlus soll wegfallen". DIGITAL FERNSEHEN (in German). Auerbach Verlag und Infodienste GmbH. November 28, 2011. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
^ "Jugendkanal von ARD und ZDF: Länderchefs stimmen zu". DIGITAL FERNSEHEN (in German). Auerbach Verlag und Infodienste GmbH. December 4, 2015. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
^ "Transparenz" [Transparency]. funk.net (in German). funk. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
^ Müller, Martin (December 20, 2019). "Jugendnetzwerk funk streicht Vorzeigeprojekte". Der Spiegel (in German). DER SPIEGEL GmbH & Co. KG. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2021.