US citizens are off to the polls on Tuesday November 5th to vote for a new president.
Whether you have ties to the US or not, the election results are being followed around the world.Â
In Germany, lots of TV stations are broadcasting election night coverage, including on live streams.
Here's a look at the key programmes and times to watch out for, whether you're attending an event, planning a watch party with friends or staying up late with snacks.
READ ALSO: What will the US election results mean for Germany?
Pre-election results coverage
Coverage on German TV starts prime time on Tuesday. ZDF kicks off the election-focussed coverage at 8.15pm on November 5th with a special live from Washington D.C.. Antje Pieper and USA correspondent Elmar Theveßen will analyse the political situation in both camps.
ZDF: on TV and livestream
8.15pm: ‘ZDF special: America votes - Harris or Trump?’
9pm: Film ‘Harris vs Trump - America has the choice’
9.45pm: ‘Heute Journal live from Washington’
ARD: on TV and livestream
10.15pm: ‘Tagesthemen live from Washington’
Phoenix: on TV and livestream
8:15pm: Film ‘Between Trump and Harris: A road trip through a torn country’
9pm: Film ‘My America, Your America - The divided states before the election’
10:15pm and 11pm: ‘Phoenix round-up: The USA before the election’
3Sat: on TV and livestream
11.55pm: Film ‘US elections 2024 - How Trump divides my Swiss-American family’
After midnight, the focus will be on live reporting. When the first polling stations close at 1am German time, US correspondents will be live on location.
Election initial results on public broadcasters
ARD
1am to 5.30am: ‘Harris vs Trump: US election live’
Tagesschau24:
1am to 5:30am: ‘Harris vs. Trump: US election live’
ZDF
12:30am: ‘The night of the decision’ live from Berlin
12:45am: ‘Heute Journal live from Washington - Update’
1am to 7am: ‘The Night of Decision’ live from Berlin
Phoenix
Midnight: ‘Phoenix Round’
12.45am: ‘Phoenix on location for the US election 2024’
1:30am: Film ‘Between Trump and Harris: Road trip through a torn country’
3Sat
12:45 am to 7am: ‘ZIB Special - The election night’
Note that a number of private broadcasters are also showing coverage throughout the night including: RTL, Sat.1, ProSieben, N-tv and World TV
READ ALSO: Inside Germany - rising cost of living, unsolicited advice and US election watch parties
What about English-language coverage of the US election results?
If you want to follow the US election in English rather than German, you can watch the Trump vs Harris race on YouTube in the live streams for CNN, ABC or CBS. CNN will start its live stream on Tuesday at 12 noon German time.
CNN:
12noon: Preliminary coverage ‘Election Day in America’ (livestream on YouTube)
8pm: ‘Election Day in America’
1am to 5am: ‘Election Night in America’
ABC News:
Starting at 2pm: ‘ABC News Live: Election Day 2024’ (livestream on YouTube)
CBS News:
Starting at 1am: ‘CBS News Live: 2024 Election Day results, latest news and analysis’ (livestream on YouTube )
BBC:
11pm: ‘BBC World News America’
11:40pm to 7am: ‘US Election 2024: Election Night’
If you have a subscription to streaming services like Paramount Plus, you can catch CBS News to get live election newsÂ
A Hulu + Live TV account, will also enable you to watch election news on American TV stations, such as ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and FOX.
When are the first results expected?
Because the United States spans several time zones, the first polling stations will open on the US east coast. These states are also the first to close their polling stations. According to German time, it will then be 1am. The first preliminary results can be expected from this time.
The polling stations in the US states of Hawaii and Alaska will be the last to close. However, these two states are not swing states. That means a trend in the election results should be recognisable by this time. But it will probably take longer until all postal votes sent in have been counted and a final result is available.
As soon as there is a clear recognisable result, the losing candidate traditionally speaks out in the USA. In the so-called ‘ concession speech’ , the loser publicly concedes defeat and congratulates the competition.
In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton congratulated her then rival Donald Trump by telephone in the early hours of the morning. However, she did not deliver her ‘concession speech’ until the morning of November 9th US time. The delayed public concession was criticised, particularly in the Republican camp. However, Trump, who was defeated four years later in the 2020 election, has still not publicly conceded defeat to Joe Biden.
Comments