One (stylized as one) is a German free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the German public-broadcasting consortium ARD. Managed since October 2005 by Westdeutscher Rundfunk on behalf of ARD as a whole, the channel was launched (as EinsFestival) on 30 August 1997.

History

On 29 July 2016, WDR announced that from early September 2016 Einsfestival became One and became a channel specifically aimed at viewers aged between 30 and 49. The channel's website, Twitter, and Facebook presences were updated on 1 September 2016, and the on-air rebrand took effect on 3 September 2016, starting with adoption of the new screen identification at 0.00 and ending with the final adjustment of all aspects of the channel's visual design at 10.00. The rebrand was aimed at increasing awareness of the station as an entertainment channel, particularly among viewers under 30. On 15 November 2022, One closed its SDTV feed across its cable and satellite feeds, but the SD feed can still be received using an antenna.

Content

One concentrates on entertainment, and the channel's content is very largely made up of repeat broadcasts of programmes already shown on other ARD channels, national and regional: this includes cinema and television films, drama series, documentaries, reports, magazines, and music programmes (especially rock and pop). Since the 2004 Summer Olympics ARD and ZDF have used their digital television channels (respectively, One and ZDFneo) to broadcast additional coverage of such sporting events as the Olympic Games and the UEFA European Football Championship. For example, during UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup these digital channels were used to provide coverage of different matches taking place simultaneously. One also carries the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest, as well as the final (which is also broadcast by ARD's principal channel, Das Erste).

Broadcasting

SD broadcasting via satellite (Astra 19.2) stopped on 12 January 2021.

High-definition feeds

From 21 to 24 March 2008 Einsfestival ran HDTV test broadcasts via satellite and digital cable (exclusively on Kabel BW). The first HD transmissiones came from the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin. Between 22 December 2008 and 1 January 2009 Einsfestival again aired HD test shows. SD feed is due to end on 15 November 2022, with One HD remaining.

Channel logos

Audience share

Germany