Sat.1 (German pronunciation: [zatˈˀaɪ̯ns]) is a German free-to-air television channel that is a part of the ProSiebenSat.1 Media Group.
Sat.1 was first launched in January 1984 and was initially named PKS (Programmgesellschaft für Kabel- und Satellitenrund). The network is considered to be the first privately owned television network in Germany, initially a joint venture of various publishing houses, and was rebranded into its current name in January 1985. The first broadcast could only be seen by roughly 1200 households who had cable access in the city of Ludwigshafen. Early programs included old films (mainly from the archives of KirchMedia) American hit series and game shows (the most notable show being the German version of Wheel of Fortune, Glücksrad). Later, the station acquired a name for its original series and TV films. By 1988, it was the most watched tv channel in West Germany.
Pay-TV sister channel Sat.1 Emotions (formerly Sat.1 Comedy) airs comedy, romance and movies. In 2013 Sat.1 Gold, a second, free-to-air Sat.1 offshoot was also launched.
In addition to its free-to-air standard definition feed, Sat.1 also broadcasts an HD feed as a subscription-only channel, available on Astra's HD+ satellite pay-TV platform.
Contents
History
The channel was created following the election of Helmut Kohl who announced the creation of the first cable pilot projects, the first of which began on 1 January 1984 in Ludwigshafen. The channel launched on that day as PKS, one day before the launch of competitor RTLplus. The channel wasn't successful, as only 2,600 households received it (even though it enabled nationwide coverage using a weak satellite), and RTLplus, which initially broadcast from Luxembourg, upon obtaining a VHF frequency (channel 7) unused from West Germany, gained a foothold. Leo Kirch was PKS's largest shareholder, though he had indirect control. Early evening programming included non-commercial and sophisticated current affairs programmes and news magazines, which were seen as boring for the average viewer.
The first face seen on PKS was that of Jürgen Doetz.
Sat.1 Regional
Regional newscasts are broadcast under the title 17:30 Sat.1... in Bremen, Lower Saxony, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Bavaria.
17:30 Sat.1 live (Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse)
17:30 Sat.1 NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia)
17:30 Sat.1 Regional (Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein)
17:30 Sat.1 Regional (Lower Saxony and Bremen)
17:30 Sat.1 Bayern (Bavaria).
Programmes
Source:
Soap opera
Current:
Die Landarztpraxis (2023–present)
Soap opera
Former:
Das Küstenrevier (2024)
Audience share
Germany
The average age of the viewers is 50.4 years (as of 2016).