ARF (Amerikanisches Rundfunk) is a German-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of German-language television viewers in the world according to Nielsen ratings. Dirk Bach, (CEO as of June 19, 2010) COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of ARF Communications president and CEO Joe Stahl in April 2010. In recent years the network has reached parity with the U.S.'s five major English-language television networks, and is often a strong fifth, outranking The CW, with some fourth-place weekly placings, and as of 2012, even first place rankings for individual programs over all five English networks due to the network's consistent schedule of new telenovelas all 52 weeks of the year.