ZDFkultur

ZDFkultur
Logo used from 2011 to 2016
CountryGermany
Broadcast areaGermany
HeadquartersMainz-Lerchenberg, Germany
Programming
Language(s)German
Picture format720p HDTV
(downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerZDF
Sister channelsZDF
ZDFneo
ZDFinfo
History
Launched7 May 2011 (2011-05-07)
ReplacedZDFtheaterkanal
Closed30 September 2016 (2016-09-30)
Links
Websitekultur.zdf.de
Availability
Streaming media
ZDF.deWatch live

ZDFkultur (stylized as zdf.kultur) was a German free-to-air television channel owned by ZDF. It was launched on 7 May 2011, replacing ZDF theaterkanal. It mainly broadcast music shows, such as Later... with Jools Holland, pop concerts and series from the ZDF archive, but also movies and theatre plays. On 1 May 2012, a high-definition simulcast was launched on satellite. On 22 February 2013, ZDF director Thomas Bellut announced that ZDFkultur would close in the near future, due to cost-saving measures at ZDF. The channel council agreed Bellut's proposal on 8 March 2013. The programming after the closure announcement consisting mostly of old ZDF archive content from the 1970s and 80s, with an annual budget of around €2 million. The channel was finally closed down on 30 September 2016.