The German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF are launching a major open source initiative and founding a joint subsidiary to operate their media libraries. This initiative aims to make key components of their streaming services publicly accessible, fostering efficiency, public interest, and transparency.
ARD and ZDF will jointly develop and use key components of their streaming services, including the player, recommendation system, and design system. These components will be published as open source, allowing other service providers, including cultural institutions and national and international platforms providers, to benefit from their technology.
Dr. Eckart Gaddum, Head of ZDF’s Main Editorial Office for Digital Media, emphasised the project's collaborative nature, stating “We are just at the beginning. Together with ARD, we are committed to transparency and the open source concept and will in future provide components that can also be used by other commercial and non-commercial-providers.” This collaboration also reflects the broader goal of positioning themselves in an increasingly more competitive market.
The project is based on two pillars: the development of the streaming platforms and the joint technical operation of the media library. A joint commercial subsidiary will handle technical operations and IP distribution, with ARD leading this unit. Additionally, a joint office, led by ZDF, will coordinate the development of the media libraries, represent the project to potential partners and focusing on compatibility and communication with the open-source community. ARD and ZDF will gradually develop and publish the key components of their streaming services together.
The streaming network aims to provide access to a large cosmos of content and leveraging a recommendation system based on transparent public algorithms and responsible data use.
By sharing their technological advancements, ARD and ZDF aim to support cultural institutions and smaller commercial players in building or enhancing their platforms. “We are emphasizing our focus on the common good and want to give something back to society,” explained Gaddum.
The OSOR Team would like to thank Matthias Hölscher and Dr. Eckart Gaddum for their time and collaboration.