9Live
Encyclopedia
9Live was a commercial German
participation TV channel
launched on September 1, 2001 and lasted until August 9, 2011. It originated from a channel called tm3. Most of its programming is lottery and quiz games, in which the viewer can participate over the phone. An English version also broadcast in the UK
in late 2004 and early 2005, during E4's downtime hours.
9Live belonged to ProSiebenSat.1 Media
and was also responsible for phone-votes and nightly quiz-shows on Sat.1
, ProSieben, Kabel Eins and N24
. Sometimes, 9Live broadcasts programs of those channels.
The channel financed itself mainly through money paid for the phone calls. Regardless of whether the calling party would have the chance to talk to the quiz host, they would pay 50 euro cent
to call from Germany or 70 cents from Austria
. The former CEO, Christiane zu Salm, sees the channel as "participation TV" ("Mitmachfernsehen").
The games were legally controversial. In German law, there is the distinction between "Glücksspiel" (gambling
) and "Gewinnspiel" (lottery
), the latter theoretically being gambling without money being bet. Gambling is not allowed on German television. In court, 9 Live defended itself with the argument that a phone call does not cost more than sending a postcard to advertisement-financed lotteries of magazines and TV-shows, which themselves are considered a "Gewinnspiel".
The total revenue of 9Live was 60.6 million euro in the year 2002 and 78.7 million in 2003. For comparison, during broadcast the channel proudly claims to have paid out close to one million euro in November 2004 alone.
9Live also featured a wide range of humorous and comical moderators. One name worth mentioning is Alida Lauenstein, winner of Big Brother Germany
, who can be seen moderating from time to time.
The most recent slogan from 2006 until it's final air date was "Heute ist mein Tag" ("Today's my day").
The channel has also diversified by airing telenovela
s and lifestyle programming in the afternoon, under the title "Neun TV", that is already canceled.
9Live broadcast from the Astra
1KR
, 1L, and 3A
satellites and is uplinked by ASTRA Platform Services
.
On May 31, 2011 Neun Live was replaced by old sitcoms from the ProSiebenSat1-archive and AstroTV. Although the channel still airs it's original television series, the game shows were replaced with infomercials and horoscope readings. In its final moments, all of the current and former moderators gathered in the studios to share their memories of working with Neun Live. In an ending similar to the final scene in The Truman Show
, moderator Thomas Schuermann looked at the camera and said "in case we don't see you, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and Good Night."
Neun Live was finally shut down on August 9, 2011.
The channel attracted attention to itself when it announced a "show for the unemployed", in which the caller had the chance of winning employment. Minister of Labour Walter Riester
called the idea absurd and cynical.
There is also criticism over the channel's late night programming, which features soft core pornography and phone sex
advertisements. As of 2006 the channel now broadcasts its late night programming from the hours of 2 AM until 6AM.
German television
Television in Germany began in Berlin on March 22, 1935, broadcasting for 90 minutes three times a week. The German television market had approximately 36.5 million television households in 2000, making it the largest television market in Europe...
participation TV channel
Quiz channel
A quiz channel is a television channel that focuses on phone-in quizzes. The quizzes usually focus on puzzles, such as filling in blanks, identifying subjects, or other forms of word puzzles....
launched on September 1, 2001 and lasted until August 9, 2011. It originated from a channel called tm3. Most of its programming is lottery and quiz games, in which the viewer can participate over the phone. An English version also broadcast in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in late 2004 and early 2005, during E4's downtime hours.
9Live belonged to ProSiebenSat.1 Media
ProSiebenSat.1 Media
ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG is a European media conglomerate, operating commercial television, premium pay channels, radio stations and related print businesses. It was formed on October 2, 2000 by merger of German TV broadcasters ProSieben Media AG and Sat.1 SatellitenFernsehen GmbH...
and was also responsible for phone-votes and nightly quiz-shows on Sat.1
Sat.1
Sat.1 is a privately owned German television broadcasting station. Sat.1 was the first privately owned television broadcasting station in Germany, having started one day before RTL Television....
, ProSieben, Kabel Eins and N24
N24 (Germany)
N24 is a television news channel based in Germany. It is owned N24 Media GmbH. It was previously owned and operated by ProSiebenSat.1 Media. N24 provides regular news updates to ProSiebenSat.1 Media properties like kabel eins and ProSieben.-History:...
. Sometimes, 9Live broadcasts programs of those channels.
The channel financed itself mainly through money paid for the phone calls. Regardless of whether the calling party would have the chance to talk to the quiz host, they would pay 50 euro cent
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
to call from Germany or 70 cents from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The former CEO, Christiane zu Salm, sees the channel as "participation TV" ("Mitmachfernsehen").
The games were legally controversial. In German law, there is the distinction between "Glücksspiel" (gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
) and "Gewinnspiel" (lottery
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
), the latter theoretically being gambling without money being bet. Gambling is not allowed on German television. In court, 9 Live defended itself with the argument that a phone call does not cost more than sending a postcard to advertisement-financed lotteries of magazines and TV-shows, which themselves are considered a "Gewinnspiel".
The total revenue of 9Live was 60.6 million euro in the year 2002 and 78.7 million in 2003. For comparison, during broadcast the channel proudly claims to have paid out close to one million euro in November 2004 alone.
9Live also featured a wide range of humorous and comical moderators. One name worth mentioning is Alida Lauenstein, winner of Big Brother Germany
Big Brother Germany
Big Brother Germany is a reality show on RTL II . It was the first adapted version based on the original Dutch Big Brother series by Endemol in 1999.-Big Brother Germany summary:...
, who can be seen moderating from time to time.
The most recent slogan from 2006 until it's final air date was "Heute ist mein Tag" ("Today's my day").
The channel has also diversified by airing telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
s and lifestyle programming in the afternoon, under the title "Neun TV", that is already canceled.
9Live broadcast from the Astra
SES Astra
Astra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
1KR
Astra 1KR
Astra 1KR is a geostationary satellite owned by SES Astra. It was launched in April 2006 as a replacement for Astra 1K, which failed to reach orbit on launch in 2002...
, 1L, and 3A
Astra 3A
Astra 3A is a communications satellite owned and operated by SES Astra, launched in 2002 to the Astra 23.5°E orbital slot providing digital television and radio for DTH and cable, multimedia and interactive services, corporate networks, and occasional and other business services to central...
satellites and is uplinked by ASTRA Platform Services
ASTRA Platform Services
ASTRA Platform Services GmbH is a sister company of SES Astra, both are subsidiaries of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg. From its headquarters in Unterföhring near Munich, Germany, APS operates a broadcasting centre, providing a wide range of services, including content management, playout,...
.
On May 31, 2011 Neun Live was replaced by old sitcoms from the ProSiebenSat1-archive and AstroTV. Although the channel still airs it's original television series, the game shows were replaced with infomercials and horoscope readings. In its final moments, all of the current and former moderators gathered in the studios to share their memories of working with Neun Live. In an ending similar to the final scene in The Truman Show
The Truman Show
The Truman Show is a 1998 American satirical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Weir and written by Andrew Niccol. The cast includes Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, as well as Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Ed Harris and Natascha McElhone...
, moderator Thomas Schuermann looked at the camera and said "in case we don't see you, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and Good Night."
Neun Live was finally shut down on August 9, 2011.
Criticism
Critics accuse 9 Live of deceiving people about their chances, for example by deliberately keeping the rules of the quiz vague, alternating them randomly and rarely explaining them even if a solution is presented.The channel attracted attention to itself when it announced a "show for the unemployed", in which the caller had the chance of winning employment. Minister of Labour Walter Riester
Walter Riester
Walter Riester is a German politician of the SPD and former Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.Walter Riester joined the SPD in 1966 and since 1998 he has been a member of the party's federal executive board. From 1993 to 1998 he was deputy chairman of the IG Metall...
called the idea absurd and cynical.
There is also criticism over the channel's late night programming, which features soft core pornography and phone sex
Phone sex
Phone sex is a type of virtual sex that refers to sexually explicit conversation between or other persons via telephone, especially when at least one of the participants masturbates or engages in sexual fantasy...
advertisements. As of 2006 the channel now broadcasts its late night programming from the hours of 2 AM until 6AM.
Sources
- http://lotterie-recht.info/forum/artikel/39/ post about lottery law in Germany (German)
- http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=9Live&oldid=3895632 German Wikipedia entry from January 2005
External links
- Official Site
- Livestream (In Germany, the time is UTC+1)
- Abzocke mit undurchsichtigen Spielregeln? Critical clip as part of the ARDARD (broadcaster)ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
TV magazine plusminus - article of "Report Mainz" about the planned show for the unemployed