Kanal 21 - Offener TV-Kanal Bielefeld e.V.

What Kanal 21 - Offener TV-Kanal Bielefeld e.V. does

Kanal 21 - Offener TV-Kanal Bielefeld e.V. is a non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1998 in Bielefeld, Germany, operating as the city's open community television channel under the hashtag #MEDIENFÜRVIELE. The organization is structured around three coordinated sub-brands: the MedienProjektZentrum, which delivers inclusive media education, vocational training, internships, and professional reintegration programs; the Kanal 21 Mediathek (kanal-21.tv), an online media library hosting locally produced content covering Bielefeld politics, community, culture, environment, and events; and the Kanal 21 gemeinnützige GmbH, a wholly-owned non-profit subsidiary that provides commercial media production services including event recording, livestreaming, animation, compositing, and equipment rental.

The organization operates with a lean staff of six employees and serves a regional audience in North Rhine-Westphalia, primarily the local community of Bielefeld interested in civic engagement, local politics, and community media. Its value proposition centers on providing low-threshold access to media production, democratic discourse infrastructure at the local level, and inclusive digital participation for underserved groups. Distribution occurs through open TV broadcast in the Bielefeld region and the online Mediathek, supplemented by community outreach through educational programs at the MedienProjektZentrum.

The revenue model is not publicly disclosed but is characteristic of regulated German non-profit open-channel broadcasters: primarily funded through public media subsidies (such as those from the Landesmedienanstalt NRW) and membership-related income, with supplementary revenue generated by the gGmbH subsidiary's commercial media services. Governance is handled by two authorized board members (Vertretungsberechtigter Vorstand), Aaron Scheer and Jan Böske. The organization holds no patents, has no disclosed funding rounds, no AI/ML capabilities, and operates strictly within a single regional market.

Name

Kanal 21 - Offener TV-Kanal Bielefeld e.V.

Legal name

Kanal 21 - Offener TV-Kanal Bielefeld e.V.

Website

https://kanal-21.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kanal 21 is a non-profit open community TV channel in Bielefeld, Germany, operating three sub-brands: MedienProjektZentrum for inclusive media education, an online Mediathek for local content, and a gGmbH subsidiary providing commercial media production services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Broadcasting

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Local/Regional News Channels (MPABAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Non-Theatrical Distribution (Educational, Airlines, Cruise, Community) (MPADAJAJ)

Keywords

• Community television broadcasting
• Media education programs
• Local media production
• Open channel services
• Civic media training

Headquarters

HQ city

Bielefeld

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kanal 21 operates an open community television channel for Bielefeld, distributing locally produced content covering local politics, society, culture, and events. It runs the MedienProjektZentrum, a media education center offering inclusive learning, internships, vocational training, and professional reintegration. Through its non-profit subsidiary Kanal 21 gGmbH, it provides professional media production services including event recordings, livestreaming, animation, and image films to external clients.

Product overview

Kanal 21 is a community media organization operating as a non-profit association with three main divisions: the MedienProjektZentrum (Media Project Center) providing educational programs and inclusive media training; the Kanal 21 Mediathek offering a digital archive of locally-produced television content covering local politics, society, culture, and events; and the Kanal 21 gGmbH providing professional media production services including event recording, livestreaming, animation, and facility rentals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MedienProjektZentrum: A program focused on participation, inclusive learning, media competency, digital participation, internships, vocational training, and professional reintegration.
• Kanal 21 Mediathek
• Kanal 21 gGmbH

Products and services

• MedienProjektZentrum A media education and training program offered by Kanal 21 e.V. that provides participation opportunities, inclusive learning, media competency development, digital participation initiatives, internships, vocational training, and professional reintegration services for individuals and groups in the Bielefeld region.
• Kanal 21 Mediathek Digital online media library providing free access to locally produced community television content covering Bielefeld local news and politics, opinion and discourse, community and society, environment and social issues, art and culture, and events and concerts.
• Kanal 21 gGmbH Dienstleistungen (Media Production Services) Professional media production services offered through the wholly-owned non-profit subsidiary Kanal 21 gemeinnützige GmbH, including event recordings, livestreaming and conferences, animation and compositing, project documentation, image films, media culture projects, and equipment and facility rentals. Services are sold to external organizations and institutions.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Alex Berlin: Open community TV channel for Berlin with comparable Offener Kanal structure, media education programs, and local civic content. Operates the same legal/regulatory model as Kanal 21.
• NRWision: NRW-wide online broadcaster for open channels across North Rhine-Westphalia. Directly comparable as a community TV platform serving the same geography and regulatory environment as Kanal 21.
• Offener Kanal Mainz: Open community TV channel in Mainz offering local programming, citizen-produced content, and media training. Operates the same regulatory model as Kanal 21.
• Offener Kanal München (München.tv): Munich's open community TV channel operated under the same Offener Kanal model. Offers comparable local programming, training, and citizen-produced content.
• Bürgerfernsehen / Offener Kanal Lübeck: Offener Kanal in Lübeck offering the same citizen-produced local programming, media education, and community participation model as Kanal 21.
• OK Kassel: Open community TV channel in Kassel under the same German Offener Kanal framework. Mirrors Kanal 21's regional broadcast plus media education approach.

Regional players

• Leipzig Fernsehen: Regional TV channel focused on Leipzig with local content, civic, and cultural programming. Comparable content scope but different regulatory structure.
• TV Berlin: Local/regional broadcaster for Berlin. Comparable local civic/news focus but operates on a more commercial model than Kanal 21's open channel framework.

Others

• Bundesverband Bürger- und Ausbildungsmedien (BBM): Industry association for community/educational media in Germany. Indirectly comparable as the umbrella body supporting Offene Kanäle like Kanal 21.

Emerging players

• Radio Dreyeckland / Freies Radio Wiesbaden: Non-commercial community radio with similar civic mission and media education programs. Comparable as adjacent community media outlet using the same German civil-society media framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kanal21
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kanal-21---offener-tv-kanal-bielefeld-e.v.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kanal 21 - Offener TV-Kanal Bielefeld e.V.