ZDF Launches More Than 15 Ad-Free Thematic Streaming Channels, a Public-Service Answer to FAST

From 1 September, ZDF’s streaming portal carries more than 15 algorithm-programmed thematic linear channels — crime, Terra X, true crime, nature and comedy among them — under a new Live & TV tab, with skip-to-next-item functionality and no advertising. The licence-fee-funded channels replicate FAST’s lean-back mechanics without its monetisation model.