Keep the programme name when the service name changes
ARD’s current help explains that ARD Audiothek has become ARD Sounds. An older article, printed recommendation or saved note may therefore use a service name that no longer matches the current heading. Preserve the programme and episode information from that reference; those are the useful clues for finding the audio again.
Begin with the episode title, the producing broadcaster and any original publication date. A generic instruction to “open the Audiothek” contains less information than a named documentary or radio series. The rename gives you the current destination to investigate, but the content clues determine which result you need.
Choose between the station and the programme item
ARD describes Sounds as bringing live radio and on-demand audio together. Those are different ways of following a reference. A recommendation for a particular interview calls for that programme item; opening the live station may lead to an unrelated part of its current schedule.
Conversely, a note about listening to a station during the day may be a live-radio recommendation rather than the name of a podcast. Read the surrounding sentence before deciding what to search. The change of service name does not convert one kind of listening request into the other.
Verify the result you recovered
Compare the current result with the older reference using its title, subject, producing station and date. Where a recurring series has similar episode names, the date or guest can distinguish the intended conversation. A familiar thumbnail alone is a weak way to identify a particular recording.
The rename statement is not evidence that every old URL redirects, every previously available episode remains present or every saved list has moved in the same way. Those outcomes require their own current help or an observation in the account. Keep a successful recovery narrow: this is the item you found through the current service.
Update a household recommendation with the current service name and a direct programme reference once the match is clear. Retaining the older name in parentheses can help someone recognise a printed guide they already own. There is no need to rewrite the programme’s production date or pretend it was first published when the service changed its name.
Questions answered
Is ARD Sounds a clue for an older ARD Audiothek recommendation?
Yes. ARD’s current help explicitly explains the rename.
Does the rename guarantee that an old episode or saved list survives?
No. The name change alone does not verify individual availability, redirects or account behaviour.
Sources & further reading
Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.