It is released on the same schedule at the ZDFmediathek and Play Suisse:

https://www.zdf.de/zdfunternehmen/pressemappe-der-schwarm-104.html

https://www.srgssr.ch/fr/news-medias/news/la-serie-dramatique-abysses-sur-play-suisse

As per our rules, the dates that should be used are the TV broadcast dates, not the online preview dates.

@superboy97 said:

As per our rules, the dates that should be used are the TV broadcast dates, not the online preview dates.

It looks like this rule was meant for the occasional drops of pilot episodes on YouTube/social networks/network websites, not for regular digital releases. Because it is not a "digital preview", it is a VOD release of each and every episode of the season, which will stay there after the end of the linear broadcast. In any case, reading further the same rule:

When a television network airs a preview of their television series on their own network, the preview date can be used.

ZDF is the owner of both ZDFMediathek and the series, so they are releasing their own series on their own digital network.

@shotfirer said:

It looks like this rule was meant for the occasional drops of pilot episodes on YouTube/social networks/network websites, not for regular digital releases. Because it is not a "digital preview", it is a VOD release of each and every episode of the season, which will stay there after the end of the linear broadcast.

No. A "digital preview" is all digital releases before the planned linear TV broadcast.

In any case, reading further the same rule:

When a television network airs a preview of their television series on their own network, the preview date can be used.

This rule apply if an episode is broadcasted on ZDF in advance of the standard broadcast of the series. This is not the case here, even if ZDFMediathek is owned by ZDF.

@superboy97 said:

@shotfirer said:

It looks like this rule was meant for the occasional drops of pilot episodes on YouTube/social networks/network websites, not for regular digital releases. Because it is not a "digital preview", it is a VOD release of each and every episode of the season, which will stay there after the end of the linear broadcast.

No. A "digital preview" is all digital releases before the planned linear TV broadcast.

In any case, reading further the same rule:

When a television network airs a preview of their television series on their own network, the preview date can be used.

This rule apply if an episode is broadcasted on ZDF in advance of the standard broadcast of the series. This is not the case here, even if ZDFMediathek is owned by ZDF.

If you prefer linear broadcast dates, why it doesn't say so directly in the rules? In this case, ZDF releases its own series on its own outlets however it wishes. Why linear broadcast should have any preference before the digital release when the owner of the series decided to release it digitally first? And even bothered to announce the schedule beforehand.

Let me add this practical aspect. The release dates are used in trakt.tv where the series shows up in the "Up next to watch" section. This is where you primarily go for your current show as soon as a new episode is available, especially for on demand steaming services. However, the new episodes in this case never showed up because the release date is in the feature, as if the new episode is not available yet, which was not the case.