Online

The news aggregation app, Smartnews, now includes English-language content from DW. The product of a Japanese startup, Smartnews has 13 million monthly users and was nominated this year for the Google Play Awards in the innovation category.

After expanding cooperation with the censorship circumvention specialists, Psiphon, DW’s Farsi news content is reaching more people in Iran. In one month, more than 85,000 daily users have been able to access DW’s independent and accurate global news coverage using Psiphon’s desktop and mobile technology. DW has worked with Psiphon for several years to deliver content to places where local sensors block international news.

Asia

The most advanced IPTV provider in India has acquired DW’s English-language channel, DW, for its channel package. Bangalore-based LukUp Media operates a “light stream” network that keeps transmission costs low and makes LukUp content more affordable for a wider group of consumers. In its first year of operation LukUp has added 150,000 subscribers.

DW is now on the OTT platform My Super TV in Hong Kong operated by the pay TV partner TVB. DW’s  English-language channel, DW, will be available along with other international providers.

The second-largest cable provider in Pakistan is carrying DW. Tri Star cable in Lahore broadcasts the DW’s English language channel, DW, to more than 100,000 subscribers. And DW is being carried by a new cable partner in Mardan, Pakistan. Mardan Cable Network is the largest provider in the city with 35,000 subscribers.

 

Asia

Over 100 hours of high-quality documentary content from DW Transtel have been acquired by the Chinese educational video program supplier “Wuhan Yuanlai Educational“, which provides video on-demand for universities and schools across the nation. Now millions of students in China can easily download general knowledge and cultural documentaries from DW Transtel. The English and German-language programming will be provided with subtitles in Mandarin Chinese.

DW’s automotive program Drive it! is being now carried by the Indonesian pay TV network K-Vision. The program will be shown with Indonesian subtitles on the “Otomotif” channel, which reaches 450,000 households across the country.

The Pakistani cable television broadcaster, Webcom PTV is now a DW partner and will provide 20,000 subscribers in Islamabad with DW’s English channel.

Online

DW is now broadcasting its English channel live on YouTube, thereby becoming one of the first international news channels to make use of this feature.

Online articles in English from dw.com are now being included amongst a wide variety of content from quality international news and information outlets on RealClearWorld. The news website from the USA features coverage, opinion and analysis of current events from around the world. It attracts 5.9 million unique visitors every month.

A consortium of international broadcasters recently met at DW’s headquarters in Bonn to discuss internet censorship. The DG 7 Internet Freedom Group brought together experts from the BBC, BBG, FMM, RNW and DW for two days to exchange ideas and discuss the importance of freedom of information online.

Europe

DW’s critical talk format Nemtsova.Interview is now being broadcast by NewsOne in the Ukraine. According to Nielsen, NewsOne is ranked amongst the most popular channels in the country.

North America

DW’s global English-language channel is now available in HD quality across North America. Partners in the USA and Canada can directly receive the channel on the SES-3 satellite. Numerous DW programs like Focus on Europe, Global 3000 and DW News will also soon be available in HD on the US public broadcasting network, PBS.

Africa

The Ghanaian broadcaster ABN TV is a new DW partner. Launching in 2013, the broadcaster reaches 10 million households in Africa and Europe via satellite. ABN TV is now broadcasting World Stories, Global 3000, Kick Off! Countdown, Kick Off! Bundesliga Highlights, Documentaries and Reports, In Good Shape and Conflict Zone.

Télé-Chad is now broadcasting a selection of programming from DW (Arabia). Kick Off!, Drive It and Tomorrow Today will now be broadcast both terrestrially and on NILESAT 201.

Asia

The Karachi-based broadband internet provider Connect Communications is a new DW partner in Pakistan. Offering a wide-range of broadband services, their television subsidiary dedear.com is broadcasting DW’s English-language channel to 70,000 households.

DW mobile content is now available to 5 million subscribers of Reliance JIO. Reliance is one of India’s fastest-growing providers of high-speed mobile connectivity.

Australia

DW’s Conflict Zone is now being broadcast on ABC News 24. The flagship news channel from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reaches a potential 8.6 million households nationwide.

People around the world are closely observing Washington DC this election season and DW is now giving audiences there a new source of international news they can use to understand the world better.

After a successful broadcasting agreement with longtime partner Megaherz, DW’s English-language channel is now being carried around the clock in its entirety to over 400,000 households in the Washington metro area. The agreement was announced at an ceremony in Washington attended by the directors of both DW and Megaherz along with guests from politics, business and media at the Newseum, a museum dedicated to news and free expression.

DW is also closely covering the US election with a special segment on social media, #whatamerica. DW correspondents in Washington and elsewhere are following campaigns and travelling the country asking the audience what they want for the future of America. The project reveals a personal side to the issues and introduces ordinary American voters to an international audience.

Select DW programming in English has been available since 2015 on Megaherz’s international channel, MhZ Worldview, alongside other broadcasters like France 24, NHK World TV and euronews. DW (Amerika) broadcasts the full range of DW’s German-language programming across the Untied States, Canada and Latin America.

 

The Webit.Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria brings together leaders, innovators and producers in technology, marketing and media to discuss big ideas and best practices. It is a truly international event, with 5,000 participants from over 60 countries. DW’s Managing Director of Distribution, Marketing and Technology Guido Baumhauer appeared at Webit for a panel discussion, The Future of Media.

Joined on stage by Didier Stoessel, CEO of NovaTV Bulgaria and Mattias Hjelmstedt, Founder of MagineTV, Baumhauer spoke about the importance and challenge of engaging audiences with content that is relevant to them. Baumhauer emphasized that actively reaching people is key to success. For example, by working with partners on coproductions, DW can produce content with regional relevance and succeed with programming tailored for different markets around the world.

After the event Baumhauer went more into detail about the future of media in an interview with Bulevard.bg, a Bulgarian media website.

“New technologies are changing the way the media industry works. A general trend is that the diversity of content continues to grow, ” said Baumhauer in response to a question about changes in the media business. “We have to continue to pay close attention to our target audience to make sure that they are receiving the content that they want.”

When asked if more traditional media like print and broadcasting were going “extinct” Baumhauer said, “It’s just another example of how ‘one size fits all’ doesn’t fit anymore. Today’s media landscape makes it possible for each individual to consume content – whether that be news or entertainment – whenever, wherever and however they like. For some, it’s reading newspapers in the park and for others it’s watching vloggers on their tablets on their train ride home.”

Baumhauer maintains that there will always be an inherent need for trusted and unbiased sources of news and media, even in the presence of social media’s growing dominance. “DW wants to ensure that our viewers and users have a balanced view of current events and pressing world issues – because people need a place to turn for credible information,” he said. “And while so many social media sources are mainly concerned about making something go viral, we are concerned about telling the whole story.”