In 1965 Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), Radio Bremen (RB) and Sender Freies Berlin (SFB) founded a joint third television programme, the Nordkette (later: Nord 3, N3 and today: NDR Fernsehen).

After the German reunification, which also reunited both parts of Berlin, the SFB decided to launch its own regional television channel with a vision to create private regional programmes for Berlin in the near future.

On 21 April 2001, the programme was renamed SFB1 at the same time as being broadcast on an analogue Astra satellite channel (daily from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.).

[1] One reason for the renaming was that many inhabitants of Berlin had not associated the abbreviation B1 with the SFB.

Since then, only the evening shows on Berlin's regional programme (Berliner Abendschau) and Brandenburg's regional programme (Brandenburg aktuell) have been broadcast separately every day for 30 minutes from 7.30 p.m. onwards.