DAZN

ARD sport documentaries; strong ratings for F1, DTM, Tour

German broadcaster ARD announced two new sports documentary series that will be released in its Mediathek in August: "RIDE. Reitsport zwischen Wettkampf, Glamour und Tierwohl" on August 8 and "Fight House – Der Weg zum MMA-Profi" on August 11, plus a new episode of "Die Derbys" from August 28. MagentaTV ended its World Cup morning show "Breakfast Club" and continues to feature Jürgen Klopp as an on-air expert. Streaming sports operator DAZN has struck a partnership with WSC Group to show the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour globally (free in most markets, excluding China, South Korea and Hungary) for the 2026 season. Broadcasters reported solid audience figures: the Tour de France stage drew 1.24 million on ARD and 320,000 on Eurosport; ProSieben’s DTM coverage reached about 470,000 viewers (9.2% in ages 14–49); Sky’s F1 Silverstone race averaged roughly 740,000 viewers with a 16.4% share in the 14–49 demo.

Sport1 Highlights Darts Focus, Extends DAZN Partnership

At the Screenforce Festival Sport1 used the industry event to underscore its sports expertise while the channel undergoes a strategic repositioning. The broadcaster has recently expanded its entertainment programming and adjusted its business structure, but emphasizes that live sports and established sports brands remain core to its positioning. Sport1 is strengthening its role as a Free‑TV darts broadcaster through a long‑term extension of its partnership with DAZN. The article was published by Horizont on July 3, 2026 and authored by Katrin Ansorge.

RTL and Sky Unveil 2026/27 Programming Slate

At the Screenforce Festival RTL presented its 2026/27 programming slate following the takeover of Sky. RTL emphasized an expanded sports portfolio — more Bundesliga in free TV, parts of the DFB‑Pokal and what is billed as the likely first German national team match after Julian Nagelsmann’s departure (late September vs. the Netherlands). RTL said it now holds rights to all NFL games previously with DAZN and will air up to nine games weekly across RTL linear, RTL+ streaming and a new linear Sky Sport NFL channel, plus the US 'Red Zone' coverage. Entertainment highlights include the action show Gladiators, a special linear marathon of Sonja Zietlow’s Die Verräter, the comedy series Goethe & Schiller, a new Heidi remake and Stefan Raab’s Jetski Star WM. RTL+ will also get multiple new reality formats.