It's the German state broadcasting agency producing content in many languages for Germans abroad and an international audience. For anti-propaganda reasons they are not allowed to broadcast in Germany. This is in contrast with the German public broadcasting agencies which have a compulsory fee, but are not directly paid by the state. DW have some really good and interesting reporting off the mainstream but should be consumed with care as they are effectively controlled by the German state. Recently they are set to become a sort of counter to Russia Today meant to counter fake news. A friend of mine works at DW and frequently rants about higher-ups revising or canceling reporting because it doesn't fit the desired angle.