Arte

The ARTE building in Strasbourg

ARTE began transmission in 1992, filling frequencies left unused by the demise of La Cinq, the first French commercial television network (created in 1986). The opening night on 30 May 1992 was broadcast live from the Strasbourg Opera House.[5]

ARTE started out as an evening-only service. In the daytime, the frequencies were shared with other channels. A public channel called Télé emploi occupied the French frequencies for about a month during 1994, before the start of La Cinquième (now France 5) in December that year. For German viewers, ARTE was assigned a frequency on the Astra 1D satellite in late 1994, and it was eventually shared with Nickelodeon Germany, later replaced by the new public children's channel Kinderkanal.

In 1996, it started offering an afternoon schedule with reruns for viewers on digital satellite and digital cable. A "proper" afternoon schedule with programmes between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. was introduced on 6 January 2001.[6] The channel eventually got its own analogue frequency on the Astra satellites.

Since 2005 ARTE broadcasts 24/7. In 2007 the catch-up service ARTE+7 is launched, offering internet users free access to a broad range of programs within seven days of their original transmission.[7]

ARTE programmes are available with multi-channel audio: all programmes go out in French and in German. Furthermore the original version is screened whenever possible with subtitles in French and German and the hearing or visually impaired may get subtitles or an audio description. Since 2015 a selection of programmes are available with English and Spanish subtitles online, with Polish to follow in late 2016.[8]

The channel enjoys a major footprint in Europe. Both the German and the French version can be received in nearly whole Europe via the satellite Astra1 (19, 2° East), the French version is also available via Hot Bird (13° East). In addition ARTE is relayed not only by all cable networks in Germany and France, but by numerous cable networks in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and in the Netherlands too.

Since 2008 ARTE broadcasts in HD in Germany and in France. Like the national channels of its own respective countries, the German HDTVversion of ARTE broadcasts in 720p50, while the French one broadcasts in 1080i25. In April 2016 ARTE co-produced (with Astra satellite owner, SES) a live Ultra-high-definition television broadcast of the Le Corsaire ballet from the Vienna State Opera. The programme was transmitted free-to-air on the UHD1 demonstration channel from the Astra 19.2°E satellites.[9]

Online ARTE programmes can be streamed live or watched on catch-up TV for at least 7 and up to 700 days on ARTE+7 and the theme platforms ARTE Concert, Creative, Info, Future or Cinema.

ARTE usually has more viewers in France than in Germany. In 2015, its share of overall viewing was about 2.2 % in France and about 1% in Germany. The differences can be put down to the different television markets in both countries. In France, ARTE was for a long time available to almost everyone as one of six analogue terrestrial channels. Relatively few French households received cable and satellite television, and the other terrestrial channels didn't really compete with ARTE. Meanwhile, thanks to widespread roll-out of cable television, the vast majority of German households had access to about three dozen channels, including several from the public broadcasters with content similar to Arte.[10] After the introduction of digital terrestrial television in France, ARTE's market share has fallen there, while it has been more or less flat in Germany.

• Abenteuer Arte – documentary series (1997–present)
• Arte Journal – information program
• Arte Reportage – current affairs program
• Arte Themenabend – special topics show
• A Very Secret Service – spy comedy
• Bagdad, le bac sous les bombes / Die Jungs von der Bagdad-High – documentary film
• Die Nacht/La Nuit – late-night news
• Do Not Track, a 2015 Arte co-produced web documentary
• Durch die Nacht mit … (2002–present)
• Geo 360° (1999–present)
• Karambolage – a show about French/German customs (2004–present)
• Kurzschluss (2001–present)
• Metropolis (2001–present)
• Le dessous des cartes (Mit offenen Karten) – geopolitical documentary (1992–present)
• Tracks – music program (1997–present)
• WunderWelten (2005-2009)
• Venice New Year's Concert (2016-present)

Since May 2017, the whole of ARTE’s digital offering (former known as "Arte galaxy" with several platforms) has been located on a single website. Programmes can be live streamed on the website as well as on smartphones and tablets using the ARTE application. Programmes can be viewed online before their broadcast on the channel and for a period of at least seven days afterwards (formerly known as catch-up service ARTE+7), as the case may be.

• ARTE Future: Platform with documentaries and fictions on environmental, technological and economic issues. Since May 2017, the platform’s offering has appeared under the “Sciences” tab on the channel’s website.[11]
• ARTE Creative: Network, Magazine and laboratory for contemporary culture and creativity in all its forms. In May 2017, the ARTE Creative platform became the Creative label.[12]
• ARTE Concert (formerly Arte Live Web): All the performing arts live, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes and backstage tours, etc.
• Culture Touch : especially developed for tablets, the magazine gives a weekly overview of the latest cultural events in Europe, it presents the best of ARTE's programme in short videos, articles, photos and exclusive interviews. The Culture Touch application was discontinued in February 2017.
• ARTE has also a radio web site, called Arte Radio.

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  Arte Live logo
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  Arte+7 logo
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  Arte Info logo
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  Arte Future logo
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  Arte CREATIVE logo
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  Arte Concert logo
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  Arte Cinema logo

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  Arte's second and current logo since January 2, 1995.
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  Alternate version of the 1995 logo, used from January 3, 2004 until February 27, 2011.
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  Orange version of the 1995 logo, used from February 28, 2011 until March 24, 2017.
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  HD logo, used since June 10, 2010.
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  90° rotated version of the 1995 logo, used since March 25, 2017.

• European Institutions in Strasbourg

• ARTE Website
• ARTE Corporate Website
• ARTE Radio
• ARTE's non free VoD service