ZDF heads to Twitch for live-streamed pop culture nostalgia TV show

ZDFtapes is hosted by Milo Pochylski

German public broadcaster ZDF has launched a weekly show on Amazon-owned live-streamer Twitch, drawing on its vast archive of classic TV programming.

ZDFtapes launched this week, with host Milo Pochylski, also known as drag entertainer Aria Addams, looking back on “special treasures” from the broadcaster’s back catalogue across six decades.

Pochylski reacts live to legendary German TV moments and invites viewers to exchange memories, curiosities and television nostalgia via the live chat, with guest appearances from some of the stars of yesteryear also getting involved.

Produced by Instinct3, each show will focus on a new topic, from popular childhood classics to bizarre moments of live television.

ZDF said the show combines a “nostalgic living room setting and the charm of past television” with “the possibilities of a modern live stream” as it seeks to forge a direct link with audiences on Twitch.

“As a public broadcaster, we want to make our content present on the platforms that are relevant to different target groups,” said Milena Seybert, ZDF’s head of genre and channel management, fiction, entertainment and young audience.

“With ZDFtapes, the community and live moments of Twitch meet more than 60 years of ZDF’s programme history. The format creates new points of contact with our content and invites younger users in particular to discover, discuss and experience it together from today’s perspective.”