heute+

This is ZDF’s new cross media newscast aiming at a younger audience. It puts social first and TV second – an approach unparalleled in the German news. Available content is published instantly on Facebook/Twitter. The TV-newscast itself is merely a compilation of these items in the later evening. Via Facebook and Twitter, the editorial team discusses topics with the community. Open questions are answered in follow-ups and political decisions are scrutinized. The format uses a variety of tailor-made elements: interviews at length give a voice to those affected, opinion-focused pieces give room for personal remarks of the reporters and animated graphic-videos explain complicated matters in a modern visual style. For this, a new on-air and news-design was developed, defined by clear graphics, bold headlines and optimized for mobile use. The reactions after seven months of heute+ online/on air are promising: The Facebook-Page has almost 73,000 likes, and more than 11,000 follow it on Twitter. Engagement-rates are very high: the top video was shared almost 30,000 times and reached over 7,000,000 people on Facebook. TV-ratings are stable compared to its predecessor-format ‘Heute Nacht’ (0,71 mil., 8,3% market share).