ZDF-Mediathek Becomes a Streaming-First Platform: Axinom Enables ZDF’s New Streaming Architecture

Axinom played a key role in transforming ZDF-Mediathek into a streaming-first platform as part of a consortium led by JAKALA. The new architecture eliminates reliance on linear TV, creating a scalable and future-proof streaming service. Axinom's Mosaic po

Fürth(18 Mar 2025)

Axinom, a leading provider of streaming technology backend components and architecture, is proud to announce its key role as a consortium member and technical lead in today’s launch of ZDF’s new streaming platform, transforming the well-recognized ZDF-Mediathek into an advanced streaming-first service. The new technology setup ensures a scalable foundation for this prominent European platform.

The new ZDF streaming platform represents a paradigm shift in the public broadcasting landscape: The typical reliance on linear TV found in traditional media libraries has been eliminated, and ZDF’s new digital offering has been fundamentally reimagined as a standalone streaming platform in line with ZDF’s vision.

“Our vision for ZDF in the digital space has been and remains ambitious. The specialized consortium has professionally implemented our vision through intensive collaboration over the past months, as evidenced by today’s launch across all distribution channels,” says Tina Kutscher, who, together with Andreas Grün, leads ZDF’s Digital Products and Automation division. “And now, the continuous further development will immediately become the focus.”

In its role as member of a consortium led by JAKALA, Axinom has been focusing on a performant and future-proof architecture across consortium partners and ZDF’s in-house development teams focused on personalization and automation. A renewed API delivery layer, powered by Axinom Mosaic, ensures seamless content aggregation and distribution. The integration of a GraphQL API layer enhances content accessibility and performance, optimizing the platform for both current and future streaming demands.

As the consortium lead, JAKALA has been in charge for ZDF’s digital distribution channels, experience design, and frontends. Condat is responsible for editorial interfaces, search, and ZDF-specific integrations, while HBT plays a key role in DevOps and cloud architecture.

"ZDF’s vision to transition from traditional broadcasting into a modern streaming leader aligns perfectly with Axinom’s strength in backend technologies," said Stefanie Schuster, CCO, Axinom. “We very much enjoy the collaboration with ZDF and our partners for a powerful, flexible, and scalable streaming platform that positions ZDF at the forefront of streaming innovation.”

About ZDF
ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen) is Germany’s prominent national public television broadcaster and the largest European TV broadcaster. ZDF also runs various highly successful video-streaming platforms. ZDF-Mediathek is one of the leading German video portals and a pioneer in this field. The platform offers live, linear, and catch-up, as well as on-demand content. Today, ZDF-Mediathek is the digital reference of Germany’s most successful TV station, accessible on all relevant playout channels.

About Axinom
Axinom empowers media businesses to navigate digital transformation and thrive in an ever-evolving industry. We provide the essential building blocks for developing content-first backends, enabling media companies, broadcasters, and telcos worldwide to streamline workflows for processing, managing, securing, and delivering video content. Founded in 2001 in Fürth, Germany, Axinom has grown into a global presence, with over 120 employees across Europe, Asia, and North America, delivering cutting-edge solutions that power the future of media.