The MDR invests a lot of money in entertainment. His biggest star: Florian Silbereisen. picture alliance / SvenSimon | Malte Ossowski / SVEN SIMON
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) is planning to save a total of 160 million euros over the next four years. According to information from Business Insider, the public broadcaster wants to reduce spending on programming and production by 47 million euros. This is likely to particularly affect the entertainment division of MDR, which is in charge of the hit shows with Florian Silbereisen in the ARD network.
Florian Silbereisen is touring the largest halls in the republic these weeks. The entertainer celebrates “The Big Schlagerfest XXL”, with scene greats like DJ Ötzi and Michelle. The major events are being marketed as an anniversary of the “Feste” series, which Silbereisen has hosted on Erste for two decades. But in the future, the TV star’s party mood could shrink significantly. Because its house broadcaster, Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk (MDR), wants to make massive savings in the next few years.
Even the extension of the hit shows on ARD turned out to be a hangover. Finally, last December, the MDR broadcasting council agreed to allow the “festivals” to take place in 2024. However, the contracts with Silbereisen in the past had a term of four years. The public broadcaster canceled its additional shows in the third program for cost reasons. Was that just the beginning of an XXL string concert?
The MDR is planning total savings of 160 million euros from 2025 to 2028. According to information from Business Insider, the employees found out this Friday where their station would like to put the red pencil. The message to the workforce was: Since the previous reserves would be used up next year, the income would then have to cover the expenses. In 2022, the MDR generated income of 779 million euros, of which 611 million euros came from the broadcasting fee.