DF1

DF1 is a German private television channel that began broadcasting in 2024. It is based in Unterföhring near Munich and is unrelated to the earlier pay-TV platform of the same name that operated from 1996 to 1999 and was absorbed into Premiere World. The channel largely took over the transmission infrastructure of the discontinued ServusTV Deutschland, including satellite, cable, IPTV and OTT distribution slots, while giving up the HbbTV slot on Freenet TV connect. Its programming is licensed from or shared with the Austrian broadcaster ServusTV, supplemented by in-house productions in entertainment, documentaries and sports. DF1 also cooperates with DAZN and Telekom to offer free-to-air broadcasts of selected sports streaming content. Since 5 October 2024, it has shown two feature films every Saturday at 20:15 as part of DF1 Filmzeit in cooperation with wedotv. The channel's sports portfolio includes American football (GFL Bowl, German Football League, United Football League), ice hockey (Deutsche Eishockey Liga top match), football (UEFA Champions League re-lives, UEFA Women's Champions League, Serie A, Frauen-Bundesliga, 3. Liga highlights, Ligue 1 highlights, Saudi Professional League, Barclays Women's Super League and various cup competitions), handball (EHF Champions League, EHF European League, women's Handball-Bundesliga), motorsport (FIA Formula E World Championship, MotoGP), sailing (Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup 2024), tennis (ATP Tour, WTA Tour, Davis Cup, Hamburg Open) and basketball (3x3Germany Tour Finals). DF1 is broadcast unencrypted in HD via satellite on ASTRA and streamed on its own website. The SD variant was discontinued on 31 December 2024, so the programme is now available exclusively in HD or via livestream with automatic scaling. The channel was licensed by the BLM in July 2024, after initial programme approval in February 2024.

DF1 launched in 2024 as a German private television channel based in Unterföhring near Munich. It is distinct from the earlier pay-TV platform of the same name that existed from 1996 to 1999 and was merged into Premiere World. The new channel largely took over the transmission paths of the discontinued ServusTV Deutschland, including satellite, cable, IPTV and OTT distribution, while abandoning the HbbTV slot on Freenet TV connect. In February 2024, the Bavarian media authority BLM approved the programme, noting that satellite distribution would likely exceed the threshold of 20,000 users for licence-free programmes. The BLM highlighted the channel's focus on local ties, culture and tradition as a "valuable anchor for the audience in uncertain times" and expected it to broaden programming diversity. Until the licence was granted in July 2024, the channel apparently also took over the licence of the predecessor Servus TV alongside its programmes. The portal digitalfernsehen.de criticised that the HD variant aired more teleshopping than the SD variant, with documentaries running in SD at times when HD showed teleshopping. DF1 SD ceased broadcasting on 31 December 2024, after which the programme became available exclusively in HD or via livestream with automatic scaling. The channel licenses or adopts content from the Austrian broadcaster ServusTV, such as the formats "Bergwelten" and "Heimatleuchten", and supplements these with in-house productions in entertainment, documentaries and sports. In cooperation with DAZN and Telekom, it offers free-to-air broadcasts of selected content from the sports streaming services. Since 5 October 2024, DF1 has shown two feature films every Saturday at 20:15 as part of DF1 Filmzeit in cooperation with wedotv. Its sports programming includes American football (GFL Bowl 2024, German Football League 2025, German national football team games, United Football League 2025), ice hockey (Deutsche Eishockey Liga top match), football (UEFA Champions League re-lives, UEFA Women's Champions League, Serie A, Frauen-Bundesliga, 3. Liga highlights, Ligue 1 highlights, Saudi Professional League, Barclays Women's Super League, various cup competitions), handball (EHF Champions League, EHF European League, women's Handball-Bundesliga), motorsport (FIA Formula E World Championship, MotoGP), sailing (Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup 2024), tennis (ATP Tour, WTA Tour, Davis Cup, Hamburg Open) and basketball (3x3Germany Tour Finals). DF1 is broadcast unencrypted in HD via satellite on ASTRA and streamed on its own website.

• 2024

  BLM approves the programme.

• 2024

  Licence granted by BLM.

• 2024

  DF1 Filmzeit launches, showing two feature films every Saturday at 20:15 in cooperation with wedotv.

• 2024

  DF1 SD ceases broadcasting; programme becomes HD-only or livestream.

Free-to-air general entertainment and sports channel with a focus on documentaries, magazines and live sports.

• DF1 Filmzeit

  Saturday evening film block showing two feature films in cooperation with wedotv.

• Bergwelten

  Mountain documentary format licensed from ServusTV.

• Heimatleuchten

  Regional culture format licensed from ServusTV.

1. 1DF1 - DF1df1.de
2. 2DF1 (2024) - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
3. 3DF1 - Wikidatawikidata.org