Tagesthemen is one of Germany's main daily television news magazines, presented by journalists Caren Miosga and Tom Buhrow. Second only to the 20:00 Tagesschau Tagesthemen is ARD's most important newscast. It is clearly different in style and content from Tagesschau and is broadcast Mondays to Thursdays at 22:15, Fridays at 23:15, Saturdays at varying times and Sundays at 22:45. Each Tagesthemen broadcast has a single host. For a time, Anne Will and Ulrich Wickert took turns hosting the program. On September 1, 2006, Tom Buhrow replaced Wickert and on July 16, 2007, Caren Miosga replaced Anne Will.

In January 1978, Tagesthemen replaced the late edition of Tagesschau, which had been broadcast until then. The broadcast lasts a half hour on weekdays; it is shorter on Fridays Saturdays and Sundays.

In contrast to Tagesschau, which provides only an overview of the news, Tagesthemen is designed to also provide the viewer with more information, context and background. The program usually features four to five segments on the stories and themes of the day.

Previously, the program used a variation of the Hammond Fantasy/Tagesschau theme, with the first and last notes in the same keys. Nowadays, Tagesthemen uses the same music as Tagesschau.