To the end of the year, Stefan Raab is ending his 16-year-long television career, so the artist and broadcaster ProSieben in a joint announcement late Wednesday evening.

The news about Raab giving up his television career have triggered a massive media attention in the German television world. In a press release, he stated:

I have decided to quit my television profession at the end of this year. ProSieben offered me a multiannual prolongation agreement, which I am very delighted about. However, after careful consideration, I made my decision and I am convinced that it is the right one.

This farewell is not an easy one – neither for Raab nor for ProSieben. Like no other, Stefan Raab was the main face for many shows on ProSieben, such as “TV Total”, Schlag den Raab,” and in the Eurovision world, he is most famous for the “Bundesvision Song Conest” and his successful revival of the German national pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest – Unser Star für Oslo (Our star for Oslo), in which the country’s winning entry at the 2010 contest was determined. ProSieben was a great “partner” for Raab, granting him many freedoms on the channel. On the other hand, the broadcaster benefited from the continuously innovative programmes he created and, thus, his giving up on his television career is much more than a loss of a television moderator for ProSieben.

In the joint press release Raab said:

I express my deepest gratitude to ProSieben which gave me the permission to realise all my ideas in the past years. Thank you for 16 exceptional, great and successful years.

Raab’s farewell is the biggest turning point for the broadcaster in more than a decade. Apart from the late night show “TV Total,” “Schlag den Raab” was also a highly successful Saturday evening show.

With Stefan Raab’s decision to end his television career, a TV era has come to an end.

So Wolfgang Link, ProSieben boss and CEO of ProSiebenSat.1 TV Germany GmbH.

Stefan Raab has shaped ProSieben and the German television. He has given us a lot of new shows and countless magical moments.