K-TV katholisches Fernsehen

What K-TV katholisches Fernsehen does

K-TV Katholisches Fernsehen is a German-language Catholic television broadcaster founded in 1999 by Pfarrer Hans Buschor and operated as a non-profit limited liability company, Kephas Stiftung gemeinnützige GmbH, headquartered in Opfenbach, Germany with a Swiss broadcast branch in Einsiedeln and a registered office in Wangen im Allgäu. The station's core product is a 24/7 linear Catholic TV channel featuring daily Holy Masses, spiritual reflections, documentaries about saints and pilgrimage sites, interviews with bishops and theologians, and live transmissions of papal events and Catholic congresses in the DACH region and Rome. Content is delivered simultaneously via cable distribution (available across nearly all of Germany's cable network), a free iOS/Android mobile app, a web live stream and Mediathek on-demand library at k-tv.org, and an active YouTube channel, with podcast extensions 'Die Stunde der Seelsorge' and 'Unverschämt Katholisch' syndicated across major platforms since October 2023.

Commercially, K-TV operates a donation-driven model: the organization explicitly states it does not receive public Rundfunkgebühren or Kirchenbeitragsgelder, relying instead on voluntary viewer contributions collected via phone, online, and event-based giving, plus modest revenue from sales of its printed monthly Programmheft distributed through BBW – Mail & More and Deutsche Post. Operations are run by a small core team (~10 employees) under managing directors Patrick Gruhn and Dr. Johannes Hattler and director of communications Dr. Claudia Kaminski. The audience is the German-speaking Catholic community across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, with formal strategic content partnerships with Vatican Radio (Radio Vatikan) and Vatican Television (CTV), technology integrations with CleverReach and LetsCast.fm, GDPR-compliant data handling, and a recurring presence at major Catholic events (Katholikentag, Adoratio Kongress, Key2Life Festival).

Name

K-TV katholisches Fernsehen

Legal name

Kephas Stiftung gemeinnützige GmbH

Website

https://k-tv.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

K-TV Katholisches Fernsehen is a non-profit Catholic television broadcaster in the German-speaking DACH region, delivering live and on-demand Catholic programming via cable, web, mobile app, YouTube, and podcasts, funded almost entirely by viewer donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catholic Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Catholic Broadcasting (MPABALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Christian Broadcasting (TV & Radio) (MPABALAA)

Keywords

• Catholic television broadcasting
• Religious television programming
• Faith-based media content
• Catholic liturgical broadcasting
• Catholic video on demand

Headquarters

HQ city

Opfenbach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Support: K-TV is funded entirely by viewer donations and support. The station explicitly states it receives no public broadcast fees (Rundfunkgebühren) or church tax revenue (Kirchenbeitragsgelder), making it dependent on voluntary contributions from viewers to cover the high costs of maintaining the television station.
2. Program Guide Sales: K-TV offers a monthly printed program guide (Programmheft) available for order, which generates revenue through sales and serves as both a product and marketing tool.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

K-TV operates a dedicated Catholic television channel broadcasting daily Holy Masses, spiritual reflections, documentaries about saints and pilgrimage sites, and live coverage of papal and Catholic events to German-speaking viewers. Programming is distributed via cable television across Germany, a website live stream, a free mobile app, an on-demand Mediathek, and a YouTube channel, with complementary podcasts and a printed monthly program guide.

Product overview

K-TV Katholisches Fernsehen operates as a unified Catholic television broadcasting platform offering multiple distribution channels. The core offering consists of live television broadcasts of Holy Masses, spiritual programming, documentaries, interviews, and current Catholic news. This is complemented by a live streaming service accessible via the website and a free mobile app. Additional products include the Mediathek media library for on-demand viewing, a monthly program booklet, HD broadcast capability, YouTube channel integration, and a newsletter service. Since October 2023, K-TV has expanded into podcast distribution with two branded shows: 'Die Stunde der Seelsorge' and 'Unverschämt Katholisch', available across major podcast platforms. The channel celebrates 25 years of operation in 2024, having been founded in 1999.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-TV Live Television Broadcasting

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration24 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Radio Vatikan (Vatican Radio)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2021K-TV cooperates with Radio Vatikan (Vatican Radio) for joint productions. The partnership includes co-productions such as 'Die Oper' performing Passions- and Easter songs from St. Peter's Basilica in Rome in 2021, produced together with Vatican Television (CTV) and Radio Vatikan. The 'Unser Sonntag' program segment is produced in cooperation with Radio Vatikan, featuring commentary by Dr. Claudia Kaminski.
• CTV – Centro Televisivo Vaticano (Vatican Television)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2021K-TV cooperates with Vatican Television (CTV) for exclusive broadcast content, including the joint production of 'Die Oper' performing from St. Peter's Basilica in Rome in March 2021, alongside Radio Vatikan.
• BBW – Mail & More GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBBW – Mail & More GmbH is a service provider used by K-TV for the distribution of its monthly program guide (Programmheft), handling mailing and logistics.
• Deutsche Post AGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDeutsche Post AG is used by K-TV for the distribution of the monthly program guide (Programmheft) to subscribers.
• Katholikentag (German Catholic Day)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerK-TV participated in the Katholikentag (German Catholic Day) in Erfurt, using this major Catholic gathering as a platform for audience engagement and community building.
• Adoratio Kongress and Benedikt XVI. ForumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerK-TV participated in the Adoratio Kongress and the Benedikt XVI. Forum in Altötting as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations and community engagement activities.
• Key2Life Festival (Wien)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerK-TV participated in the Key2Life Festival in Vienna as part of its community engagement and marketing efforts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network): EWTN is the world's largest Catholic television network, broadcasting religious programming, daily Mass, and faith formation content globally—directly comparable to K-TV's Catholic TV broadcasting model serving a defined language audience.
• Vatican Television (CTV – Centro Televisivo Vaticano): CTV is the Vatican's official broadcaster producing papal and liturgical content—an existing co-production partner of K-TV and a direct peer in Catholic broadcasting with overlapping mission and content library.
• Bibel TV: Bibel TV is a German-language Christian television broadcaster delivering faith-based programming via cable, satellite, and digital platforms—closely comparable to K-TV in distribution mechanics, audience demographic (German Christians), and donation-supported nonprofit structure.
• Radio Vatikan (Vatican Radio): Vatican Radio is the Holy See's audio broadcaster and a documented co-production partner of K-TV. Comparable mission (Catholic content distribution to global audiences) but primarily audio rather than TV.

Broad incumbents

• ERF Medien (Evangeliums-Rundfunk): ERF Medien is a long-established German Christian media nonprofit producing TV, radio, and online content with donation funding—analogous to K-TV in faith-based broadcasting and donation-supported model, but broader (Protestant/ecumenical) and with greater scale and headcount.
• Kirche+ (Catholic media network, Germany): Kirche+ is a German Catholic online media platform delivering faith-based video content—overlapping with K-TV's Catholic-focused content for a German-speaking audience but with a digital-first distribution model rather than linear broadcast.
• katholisch.de (Catholic news portal): katholisch.de is the German Catholic Church's official web portal providing news, faith content, and multimedia—overlapping with K-TV in serving German-speaking Catholic audiences but as a church-affiliated digital-first platform rather than a nonprofit broadcaster.

Regional players

• TV2000 (Italian Catholic TV): TV2000 is an Italian Catholic television broadcaster operated by the Italian Bishops' Conference—comparable in Catholic TV mission and donation/structure mix but serving an Italian-speaking audience rather than directly competing with K-TV's DACH territory.
• Salt + Light Media (Catholic TV, Canada): Salt + Light is a Canadian Catholic television and media organization producing faith content with donation support—directly analogous to K-TV's nonprofit Catholic broadcasting model but operating primarily in English across North America.

Emerging players

• Hope Channel (Adventist Television Network): Hope Channel is a global Christian television network producing faith and lifestyle programming across many languages—comparable to K-TV in multilingual digital streaming and donation-supported operations, though denominationally Protestant (Seventh-day Adventist) rather than Catholic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KTVorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/K.TV.Fernsehen
• Instagraminstagram.com/katholisches_fernsehen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/k-tv-katholisches-fernsehen

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 K-TV katholisches Fernsehen