The adoption of the reforms by the states - which are responsible for media regulation under Germany's federal system - were welcomed by the public broadcasters, which while they will not be able to count on an increase in income will at least visibility over their funding for the next two years. The public broadcasters also believe the new system will be easier to understand and could therefore help to raise public acceptance of licence fees. In addition, Kirchhof's report confirms the compatibility with the constitution and fiscal law.

The Verband Privater Rundfunk und Telemedien (VPRT), an alliance of private German broadcasting companies, was less happy. The VPRT argued that the reform was a missed opportunity to establish an acceptable model for financing public broadcasting.

Furthermore the federal states decided not to change the existing arrangements on advertising and sponsorship for ARD and ZDF. At present the broadcasters are allowed to broadcast both before 8pm on every day except Sundays and public holidays, excluding sport events.