DW (TV) began as RIAS-TV, a television station launched by RIAS, a West Berlin broadcaster in August 1988.

The fall of the Berlin Wall the following year and German reunification in 1990 led to the closure of RIAS-TV.

Unlike most other international broadcasters, DW-TV doesn't charge terrestrial stations for use of its programming, and as a result its DW News and other programmes are rebroadcast on numerous public broadcasting stations in several countries, including the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

[2] Deutsche Welle relaunched their television channels and their schedules on 6 February 2012, using the abbreviation DW for all its services.

DW-TV is also available on the Internet and on Digital terrestrial television in a handful of cities in the United States.