9Live

9Live was a commercial German participation TV channel launched on 1 September 2001 and lasted until 9 August 2011. It originated from a channel called tm3. Most of its programming is lottery and quiz games, in which the viewer can participate over the phone. An English version also broadcast in the United Kingdom in late 2004 and early 2005, during E4's downtime hours.

Production

9Live belonged to ProSiebenSat.1 Media and was also responsible for phone-votes and nightly quiz-shows on Sat.1, ProSieben and Kabel Eins. Sometimes, 9Live broadcasts programs of those channels.

The channel financed itself mainly through money paid for the phone calls. Regardless of whether the calling party would have the chance to talk to the quiz host, they would pay 50 euro cent to call from Germany or 70 cents from Austria.

The games were legally controversial. In German law, there is the distinction between "Glücksspiel" (gambling) and "Gewinnspiel" (competition), the latter theoretically being gambling without money being bet. Gambling is not allowed on German television. In court, 9Live defended itself with the argument that a phone call does not cost more than sending a postcard to advertisement-financed lotteries of magazines and TV-shows, which themselves are considered a "Gewinnspiel".