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Mirjam Schuster 1 min

ZDF ends SD broadcast via satellite

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From November 18, 2025, only HD: What households and institutions must do now

Frankfurt am Main, October 1, 2025

On November 18, 2025, ZDF will cease the SD broadcast of its programs via satellite. This will end the long-standing parallel distribution in Standard (SD) and High Definition (HD). From this date, the programs ZDF, ZDFneo, ZDFinfo, 3sat, and KiKA will be offered exclusively in HD quality.

The switch affects not only private households with satellite reception but also a variety of community TV systems, such as in hotels, hospitals, senior and care facilities, correctional facilities, or shared apartments. To prepare viewers, ticker messages will appear on the affected SD programs starting October 7, 2025, indicating the upcoming change.

Already in January 2025, ARD ended its SD broadcast. Numerous reception systems have been modernized since then. However, it is not possible to specifically estimate whether all necessary changes have been made in the systems to receive the ZDF program offer in HD from November 18. Therefore, Deutsche TV-Plattform and ZVEI advise private households and operators of community systems to check this in a timely manner.

Technical details of the switch

End of SD distribution: On transponder 77, the SD versions of ZDF, ZDFneo, ZDFinfo, 3sat, and KiKA will be discontinued.
Still receivable: The programs are available in HD via transponders 10 and 11.
Labeling: The SD programs now carry the suffix “SD” (e.g., ZDF SD) to clearly distinguish them from the HD programs (e.g., ZDF HD).
Radio offers: The radio programs Deutschlandradio Dlf, Dlf Nova, Dlf Kultur, and DRadio Dok&Deb, which are also affected by the shutdown, have been supplemented with the suffix “old” and are already receivable via transponder 11.

Recommendations for action for viewers and system operators

Channel search: If the HD programs do not automatically appear in the channel list despite suitable reception devices, a manual channel search is required.
Purchase of new devices: If no HD programs are found even after a search, it may be necessary to purchase an HD-capable receiver or television.
Community systems: In central headend systems, a replacement of modules or cassettes may be required. For older systems, a complete modernization may be necessary. In all cases, the HD programs must then be reprogrammed to the usual channel positions.
Time planning: Conversions, new purchases, and reprogramming should be carried out early. Delivery times for components, limited specialist personnel capacities, and weather-dependent work on outdoor systems can cause delays.

Further information

Consumers can find out about the switch on the ZDF website: ZDF – Company.

In addition, a joint letter has been created for institutional facilities with further information, which can be accessed here: Change in TV reception: ZDF ends SD broadcast via satellite

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