This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008)

3sat
Launched	1 December 1984
Network	ZDF, ORF, SRG SSR, ARD
Picture format	16:9
Audience share	1 percent (January 2008, [1])
Slogan	anders fernsehen
Country	Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Language	German
Broadcast area	Europe
Headquarters	Mainz, Germany
Website	http://www.3sat.de/
Availability
Terrestrial
DVB-T	misc.
Satellite
ASTRA 1H (Europe)	11,954 H / 27,500 / 3/4
DStv (Southern Africa)	Channel 445
Yes (Israel) (Israel)	Channel 121
Cable
Kabel Deutschland (Germany)	misc.
Cablecom (Switzerland)	Channel 044 (digital CH-D)
Naxoo (Switzerland)	Channel 157
ComHem (Sweden)	Channel 210
MC Cable (Monaco)	-

3sat is a public, advertising-free, television network in Central Europe. The programming is in German (in either Standard German or Austrian Standard German, depending on the producer of the programme) and is aimed primarily at audiences in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (the major countries of the German-speaking world).

3sat was established to broadcast cultural programmes, originally by satellite. The network was founded as a cooperative network by Germany's ZDF, Austria's ORF and Switzerland's SRG SSR (formerly SRG SSR idée suisse). 3sat began broadcasting on 1 December 1984. ZDF leads the cooperative, though decisions are reached through consensus of the cooperative's partners.

In 1990, DFF, television broadcaster of the German Democratic Republic became a cooperative member of 3sat, and a name change to 4sat was considered. Eventually it was decided to keep the original 3sat name. DFF's membership of 3sat was dissolved on 31 December 1991, as DFF itself ceased to exist, in accordance with Germany's Unification Treaty.

On 1 December 1993, ARD joined 3sat as a cooperative member. This followed ARD's creation of its own satellite channel, Eins Plus. 3sat broadcasts programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 3sat is available on the European Astra satellites at 19.2° east, on cable television, and in Austria and Germany on digital terrestrial television.

Since 2003, it can be viewed by 40 million households in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and 85.5 million households in Europe.

Television series [edit]

• "3sat börse" (3sat Market), Fridays 9:30pm
• "DENKmal" (roughly translated as "Think about it" - the name is a pun on the German word for monument), a knowledge quiz, broadcast once a month on a Saturday evening at 7:20pm. The quiz features six puzzles related to biographies.
• "scobel", a general knowledge series. Broadcast fortnightly, Thursdays at 9:00pm. (Previously called "Delta")
• "FOYER", a theater series. Broadcast fortnightly, Saturdays at 7:20pm. (Cancelled in 2011)
• "hitec" ("High Tech"), reports on science and technology, Sundays at 4:00pm.
• "Kulturzeit" ("Cultural Time"), weekdays, 7:20pm.
• "nano", "The World of Tomorrow," weekdays 6:30pm.
• "neues", Computainment, Sundays at 4:30pm. (Cancelled in 2011)
• "tips&trends", a consumer series covering homes, automobiles, fashion and sport, Saturdays at 5:30pm.

External links [edit]

• 3sat.online Homepage (German)