BritBox

ARD Orders Season 3 of Mediathek Hit 'In höchster Not'

ARD has commissioned a third season of the documentary series 'In höchster Not – Bergretter im Einsatz' after its second season reached a combined 5.8 million plays in the ARD‑Mediathek. The Bad Reichenhaller production company Timeline Production has begun filming on behalf of Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR). For season three the Bergwacht Oberstdorf will join the show while the Bergwacht Ramsau will sit out; Grainau and Bad Reichenhall remain involved. The series documents real Bavarian mountain rescue operations using conventional camerawork as well as bodycams and 360° cameras to capture rescues in dramatic alpine settings. The article was published by DWDL.de on 2026-06-11.

Producers Debate Vertical-Video 'Hochkant' Hype

German producers, platforms and agencies are debating the commercial potential of vertical-format fiction ('Vertical Drama' or 'Hochkant') amid growing global demand. The article reports industry views heard during Berlinale and an AI-focused event hosted by Fieldfisher Germany: some see the format as highly efficient and suited to low-cost, AI-assisted production and branded entertainment, while others argue monetization requires mass-reach apps and platform infrastructure currently lacking in Germany. Examples include Constantin Entertainment's strategic investment into Vertical Drama, US vertical platform Crisp Momentum's app launch (Nov 2025) and European startups like Vertical Minds planning the EiLiN app. Public broadcasters and producers (e.g., Radio Bremen, Banijay, Black Forest Studios) are experimenting with short-form vertical series and TikTok distribution. The piece highlights a perceived infrastructure gap (local distribution apps and monetization models) as the main barrier to scaling vertical fiction in Germany.

Bavarian Broadcaster to Close Two Radio Stations in June

Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) will shut two niche radio services, BR24 live and BR Verkehr, on 16 June 2026, the broadcaster confirmed to DWDL.de. The closures are linked to the planned move of the BR24 newsroom to the new BR‑Campus Freimann and associated resource planning. The decision follows a broader regulatory context: the Reformstaatsvertrag that came into force on 1 December 2025, which aims to reduce ARD’s radio channels from 69 to 53. BR previously discontinued its Puls Radio earlier in January. BR also plans to discontinue BR Schlager as a linear radio programme from 2027 while retaining priority services such as BR24 (inforadio), Bayern 2, BR Klassik, Bayern 1, Bayern 3 and BR Heimat.