Parliamentary Television - transparency and diversity on screen

Article 42 of the Basic Law states that "Sessions of the Bundestag shall be public." But very few people are able to follow the work of Parliament and its Members directly on the spot in Berlin. When it moved to Berlin, the German Bundestag created a new information outlet: Parliamentary Television. From plenary debates to public committee meetings and panel discussions with Members – Parliamentary Television has been informing viewers about events in Parliament daily from Monday to Friday since 2002. It is not a conventional television station, but offers a schedule that documents the business of Parliament and – as its contribution to the Bundestag’s public relations work – informs the public about Members’ activities and political topics on the parliamentary agenda. The diverse composition of Parliament also guarantees that a wide range of opinions is articulated in the programmes from the Bundestag.

Helping viewers make up their own minds

Parliamentary Television complements the reporting of the public and private broadcasting corporations, allowing viewers to watch debates in Parliament "live, without commentary and uncut". It helps the public to make up their own minds about the work of their elected representatives and follow political discussions in which they have a particular interest. When the Bundestag is not sitting, programmes transmitted earlier by Parliamentary Television are repeated. Parliamentary Television, which originally started out as an in-house channel, thus offers a different view of the multifaceted and often protracted work involved in parliamentary debates and decision-making. These processes do not just take place in the plenary, but also in a variety of committees, commissions and other bodies.

Availability on the Internet

The programmes produced by Parliamentary Television are primarily made available via the Internet. In addition, Parliamentary Television can be received as a digital package on the Berlin cable network (862 MHz, Channel 38). Not all parts of the Berlin cable network have been upgraded for the transmission of digital programmes yet, so anyone who wishes to watch Parliamentary Television should also consider the option of subscribing to a private network operator that transmits digital programmes. An additional device is required in order to receive the channel by satellite.

Media service provider

In addition to this, Parliamentary Television provides all interested media and television organisations with visual material as a way of supporting their reporting on Parliament. At the same time, Parliamentary Television also works closely with parliamentary channels in other European countries and the audiovisual unit of the European Parliament. It is important that every viewer, whether they are a journalist, lobbyist, student or an interested member of the public, should be able to use the service provided by Parliamentary Television individually to satisfy their own interests and requirements.