Latin America

DW has added numerous new partners in Latin America. Two channels in Guatemala with nationwide coverage are adding DW’s Spanish-language television in March. Antigua Sports now carries DW sports programming on its lineup and the channel +Musica will show seven DW programs aimed at younger viewers.

In Honduras, Sinprodoh TV and LTV Canal La Tribuna are DW’s new partners. Both have nationwide coverage and La Tribuna is broadcasting DW Noticias during popular morning and evening time slots.

And El Salvador’s public broadcaster, TVES Canal, and private broadcaster Tecnovisión Canal 33, are broadcasting seven DW programs around the country.

Asia

The Indonesian online video site Vidio.com now includes 200 episodes of DW’s Indonesian science program, Inovator, on a dedicated channel. Vidio also includes a link to a DW live stream. The popular video site is an Indonesian alternative to YouTube and registers 5 million clicks per month.

Two DW partners in Mongolia are expanding cooperation. Univision is broadcasting DW in HD and DDish is adding DW (Deutsch) to its lineup.

China Network Television (CNTV) is showing 150 regionally adapted episodes of Euromaxx online. The website receives 8 million monthly clicks.

The estimated 500,000 listeners of Jan FM based in Sheikhupura and Khanewal, Pakistan can listen and learn German with new DW language courses going on air in March.

Africa

A new DTH service in Ghana launched by Mega-Choice, is carrying DW’s English-language channel. Mega Choice is owned by Crystal TV, Ghana’s first privately owned TV network, and long-time DW partner. DW is among 36 free and pay TV channels offered on Mega-Choice and will reach more than six million households in sub-Saharan Africa.

Alternative FM 99.4 in Niger is now broadcasting DW in French and Hausa. The entre French broadcast will be carried and Hausa will be broadcast mornings and afternoons.

 

When terrorists attacked Charlie Hebdo, Ines Pohl was the editor in chief of alternative Berlin daily Die Tageszeitung (taz), known for going against the mainstream and breaking taboos. As she and her colleagues absorbed the news of the massacre, Pohl said she wondered if taz would be next. But instead of giving in to fear, she decided that taz would publish the first Charlie Hebdo cover after the attack, which controversially portrayed the Muslim prophet Mohammed. Pohl said that it was the duty of journalists to “hold back this fear and stand up for our free democracies.”

Now as editor in chief at DW, Pohl will bring this courageous spirit and an innovative attitude to DW’s journalism.

Before becoming editor in chief, Pohl was DW’s Washington correspondent.  During the 2016 US presidential campaign, she helped lead the social media project #Whatamerica. Using short video interviews and vox pops, the project shared a unique perspective on how American’s envision the political future of the US. It was also something new for DW and it demonstrated the success of engaging with the audience to tell better stories.

“The current election in the USA is an example of an increasingly polarized and short-winded media landscape,” said Pohl. “Without Twitter and Facebook there would be no Donald Trump. He lives off of scandalizing, and a hunger for quotas. Nuanced and bold reporting is poison for politicians like him.”

Pohl has a built a long career in journalism and while she emphasizes the importance of digital media, she also understands that interacting with people face-to-face is an essential aspect of being a journalist. “This is where I am more traditional,” she said. “Whenever possible, I think a conversation should begin with a handshake. This can say so much more than a thousand words in e-mails.”

Under Pohl’s the direction the future for DW’s journalism is in the hands of a forward thinking journalist who is not afraid to take chances. Pohl says DW gives her “the privilege to be able to work for quality and not for quotas.” She especially values the international perspective at DW and will seek to promote a multimedia atmosphere and experimentation more with of social media.

 

Asia

DW’s English channel will be available to 1.25 million households in Bangladesh after 30 new contracts were successfully negotiated with cable networks at the Cable TV Equipments Traders & Manufacturers Association (CTMA) trade fair in Calcutta. Additionally, RTV, Bangladesh’s private broadcaster with the widest nationawide coverage at 42 million households, is now showing DW’s Bengali science program Onneshon.

The Chinese website Tencent is showing 150 locally adapted episodes of Euromaxx. The adaptation was accomplished in cooperation with China DTV. In November 2016, content on Tencent received 118 million clicks.

A new DW partner in Pakistan, ATV, is broadcasting DW’s Urdu magazine Sawal. ATV is one of the country’s most-popular television channels, providing audiences with a full range of programming including news broadcasts, entertainment and educational programming. A weekly segment from DW’s Urdu department will also be included.

Online

Thanks to a new partnership with Amazon, news content in English and German from DW is now available on the new class of devices using Amazon’s Alexa voice technology, which include Echo and Echo Dot. DW content will be read aloud by the device.

Storytelling with video delivers an intimate look at the people and places that make up the bigger picture of important issues. DW’s new YouTube channel, DW Documentary, brings together some of DW’s best documentaries on an online, on-demand format.

Riveting documentaries like Maidan Calling, which tells the story of young people in Kiev who are developing a creative scene fueled by rave music and fashion, present an alternative perspective on major international news issues. Another highlight is #MyEscape, a collection of riveting first person accounts recorded by refugees on smartphones from Afghanistan to Libya. As they made their way to Germany, they took short videos and all the clips put together provide a highly personal and unique portrayal.

Online video is quickly becoming the preferred source for documentaries, and will soon surpass linear television. Users can choose their favorite genres, discover something new on feeds and share their opinions.

With a wide-selection of documentaries covering politics, economics, business, social issues, science and culture along with short documentaries and segments, DW Documentary covers the entire spectrum of important global issues.

Africa

In December, DW organized a blogging event for “Digital Influencers” in Mozambique. The goal of the event in Maputo was to get to know the digital scene in Mozambique better, to form a network of likeminded thinkers and to meet new potential partners. The most important topics from the event were social networks, citizen journalism and the pros and cons of digital platforms. The event was broadcast on Facebook Live.

In Congo, Afrika TV and Canal Numérique Télévision will be broadcasting DW radio programming in French and Kiswahili.

The newly formed Community Radio Association in Cameroon, which was supported by DW, has also led to 10 new radio partners.

The television channels First Digital, GHone, EBN (Eclipse Broadcasting Network) and NET2 TV are now broadcasting DW programs in Ghana.

 

Asia

DW has five new partners in Pakistan for its English channel: Systak Cable Network and Shaheen Tel Cable Network in Islamabad, Sky Vision International Cable Network in Multan, Showtime CATV Network in Karachi und Rose Plus Communications in Hasanabdal.

Topas TV is now broadcasting DW’s science program for the Indonesian-speaking market, Inovator.

 

Latin America

The Chilean broadcaster TVU has integrated several DW programs into its lineup, including Euromaxx, Todo gol, Global 3000, Visión futuro und Patrimonio mundial. TVU is a terrestrial broadcaster with a technical reach of 1.5 million viewers.