Observed Signal · Jun 8, 2026 · Programming Announcement · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
ZDF revives 'Wetten, dass..?' with Bill & Tom Kaulitz
In an interview, Oliver Heidemann (ZDF) discusses current programming and strategy: ZDF will relaunch 'Wetten, dass..?' in December with Bill and Tom Kaulitz as hosts and has engaged production partner btf to provide a small creative department supporting social media and new staging ideas. Heidemann praises the long-running 'Fernsehgarten', notes ARD recently ended its comparable 'Immer wieder sonntags' for cost reasons, and confirms ZDF is shifting more budget toward non-linear/streaming while still valuing linear TV. ZDF is expanding its comedy universe (notably the 'heute-show' spin-offs reaching strong youth ratings), developing new formats including a creator/influencer reality-style show 'Terrain - Battle of the Flags' and Kurt Krömer’s 'Krömers letzte Stunde' for ZDFneo/streaming. Heidemann also addresses talent contracts (Jan Böhmermann) and distribution lessons from prior experiments.
Announcements concern a major German public broadcaster (ZDF) relaunching a flagship entertainment property, commissioning new formats and shifting budget toward streaming — relevant for TV inventory, brand integrations and social distribution, but not industry‑shifting globally.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- ZDF will relaunch 'Wetten, dass..?' in December with Bill and Tom Kaulitz as hosts.
- ZDF hired btf to add a small Creative Department to support social media and new staging for 'Wetten, dass..?'.
- ARD has announced the cancellation of its 'Immer wieder sonntags' show for cost reasons.
- ZDF is shifting more budget to non-linear/streaming platforms while maintaining the importance of linear TV.
- ZDF is commissioning new formats: 'Krömers letzte Stunde' (four episodes for ZDFneo and streaming) and 'Terrain - Battle of the Flags' (produced by Roses are Blue) featuring creators/influencers.
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Netflix Announces Multi-Year Deal with Kaulitz Twins
At the Berlin premiere of Kaulitz & Kaulitz season 3 at the Delphi Filmpalast on July 22, 2026, Wiebke Schodder, Head of Non‑Fiction for Netflix DACH, announced a multi‑year partnership between Netflix and twins Bill and Tom Kaulitz. Schodder confirmed a fourth season of the reality documentary and said Netflix is developing additional formats with the brothers. The series is produced by Constantin Entertainment; season 3 credits include directors Annika Blendl and Michael Schmitt, directors of photography Johannes Obermaier and Mateusz Smolka, executive producers Caroline Rußwurm and Per Lars Eppmann, and producer Otto Steiner. The piece also notes the Kaulitz twins will present a one‑off edition of ZDF’s Wetten, dass..? on December 5.
Kurt Krömer Returns with New ZDF Show
Comedian Kurt Krömer is returning to television with a new show titled "Krömers letzte Stunde" that will air on ZDF. The show, produced by Cologne-based production company btf, is planned for four episodes for ZDFneo and ZDF's streaming portal. Each episode will feature two guests and combine talk and games; ZDF entertainment chief Oliver Heidemann described the format as unpredicatable, humorous and occasionally serious. No specific premiere date has been announced. Krömer had previously made his shows for RBB, including the recently ended "Chez Krömer," which won two Grimme-Prizes.
ZDF's 'heute-show' spin-offs return for summer
ZDF will bring back four spin-offs of its satirical program 'heute-show' for the summer, starting July 17 after the World Cup. The schedule begins with 'heute-show extra – Die unglaubliche Geschichte des Gianni Infantino' (streaming from 20:00, linear at 22:30), hosted by Valerie Niehaus and featuring ensemble members in fictional roles. On July 17 at 23:00 the first of four weekly new episodes of 'heute-show extra – Das Quiz' returns, moderated by Lutz van der Horst, with a mix of politicians and other celebrities as contestants. On July 24 Fabian Köster's 'Next Stop Köster' returns with an episode featuring Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. In the second half of August ZDF will air three new 'heute-show Spezial' episodes hosted by Lutz van der Horst and Fabian Köster covering waste, gambling, and the Saxony-Anhalt state elections. The article was published on 2026-06-01 by Uwe Mantel.
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