BR vs Radioplayer

BR Director Wildermuth Drops Wilhelm's Reappointment Bid

The Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation (BR) will not re-appoint Björn Wilhelm as Culture Director due to insufficient support in the Broadcasting Council. Director General Katja Wildermuth decided to abandon the reappointment after his initial bid failed in July 2026 and subsequent discussions failed to change the council's stance. Wilhelm's contract runs until February 2027, and BR will begin the formal process to find his successor. His tenure was marked by digital transformation, integration of BR Mediathek into ARD Mediathek, and reforms at Bayern 2, but also drew criticism from council members over perceived inadequate involvement.

• Björn Wilhelm's reappointment as BR Culture Director will not be pursued due to lacking majority in the Broadcasting Council.
• Wilhelm's initial reappointment bid failed in July 2026.
• Director General Katja Wildermuth stated the decision in a public announcement.

ARD Plans Largest Christmas Sing-Along Ever

German public broadcaster ARD announced plans to produce a live Christmas sing-along TV show titled "O du fröhliche - Deutschland singt!" on December 23, 2026, from the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf. The event aims to connect viewers across Germany and is promoted as the largest Christmas sing-along of all time. It will feature prominent guests such as Sarah Connor and Jonas Kaufmann. The broadcast will be produced by DEF Media in collaboration with NDR, WDR, and BR, with NDR leading the project.

• ARD announced a live Christmas sing-along TV show for December 23, 2026, at 8:15 PM on Das Erste.
• The event will take place at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, with additional stadiums participating.
• Guests include Sarah Connor and Jonas Kaufmann.

BR exposes data leak in German mobile networks

A Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) investigation found that during call setup German mobile networks transmitted technical smartphone data to the caller side. In tests, networks operated by Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica forwarded identifiers and device information—including IMEI, device model and sometimes OS version—before the called party answered. Regulators and security agencies said these fields are unnecessary for call setup and create risks for fingerprinting-based targeted attacks. Netzbetreiber reported technical adjustments: Telefónica implemented changes, Vodafone limited transmitted information and Deutsche Telekom announced network adjustments. The GSMA informed its global membership and recommended removing unnecessary signalling data to enforce data minimisation in modern IP-based telephony stacks.

• A Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) investigation found that technical smartphone data was transmitted during call setup in German mobile networks.
• Test calls showed networks operated by Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica forwarded data such as IMEI, device model and sometimes OS version before the call was answered.
• Security authorities including the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified the vulnerability as security-relevant and warned of fingerprinting risks.

Radioplayer launches breakthrough real-time car radio analytics

Radioplayer has launched a new real-time car radio analytics product, as highlighted in the latest news on their website.

Radioplayer brings car radio done right to CarApp World Europe

Radioplayer's participation in CarApp World Europe to demonstrate in-car radio delivery.