The invention describes a control circuit for backlighting having a plurality of control channels in each of which a light emitting diode string is controlled. The control circuit has a balancing device for balancing the currents in the individual control channels, and a control unit that is connected to a power factor correction circuit (PFC), to a bridge circuit and to a primary-side current measuring device. Each control channel has a switch for switching the light emitting diode string that is connected to a separate dimming signal. The control circuit furthermore has at least one smoothing capacitor and one current limiter that limits the charging current for the smoothing capacitor. The control unit is additionally designed such that if all the dimming signals are logical ON, the output voltage of the PFC is regulated with the aid of the current measuring device such that the current on the primary side corresponds to a pre-determined setpoint value and that as soon as at least one dimming signal is logical OFF, the output voltage of the PFC is kept constant at its last value (FIG. 4).