AGF Videoforschung vs BLM

Masked Singer Ratings Slightly Up Before Finale

The German TV show 'The Masked Singer' on ProSieben continues to underperform, with ratings slightly increasing one week before the finale. On the evening of October 14, 2026, only 850,000 viewers watched the show, including 190,000 in the 14-49 demographic, resulting in a 7.1% market share. In comparison, 'Galileo' on the same network had 170,000 young viewers. The most successful broadcaster for younger audiences that evening was Sat.1 with 'Promi Big Brother', attracting 390,000 viewers in the 14-49 group (12.3% market share). RTL's 'Mario Barth deckt auf' attracted 290,000 younger viewers (9.3%), while 'Stern TV' achieved 13.2% market share in the target demographic. ProSieben's prime time performance remains weak.

• 'The Masked Singer' on ProSieben had 850,000 total viewers and 190,000 in the 14-49 demographic on October 14, 2026.
• The show achieved only a 7.1% market share in the 14-49 target group.
• Sat.1's 'Promi Big Brother' was the most successful show among younger audiences with 390,000 viewers in the 14-49 group (12.3% market share).

ZDF Crime Drama Tops 7M Viewers, ARD Strong with Young Audiences

On October 5, 2026, the ZDF crime drama 'Nord Nord Mord' drew 7.07 million viewers, making it the most-watched program of the day with a 31.4% market share. The ARD's 'Tagesschau' followed with 4.12 million viewers. Among viewers aged 14-49, ARD performed strongly with 'Hirschhausen und der Darm' (10.3% share) and 'Die Tricks von dm und Rossmann' (12.2% share), outpacing ZDF's crime drama (9.0% share). The data comes from AGF Videoforschung.

• ZDF's 'Nord Nord Mord' attracted 7.07 million viewers on October 5, 2026, achieving a 31.4% market share.
• ARD's 'Tagesschau' reached 4.12 million viewers, ranking second for the day.
• Among viewers aged 14-49, ARD's 'Hirschhausen und der Darm' achieved a 10.3% market share, outperforming the ZDF crime drama's 9.0%.

AGF-Aufsichtsrat wählt Frank Vogel zum stellvertretenden Vorsitzenden

Vermarktungschef von RTL Deutschland übernimmt neue Funktion im Aufsichtsgremium der AGF Videoforschung

BLM President Cautious on Digital Tax for Platforms

Thorsten Schmiege, President of the Bavarian media authority BLM and current Chairman of the DLM, expressed skepticism about the proposed digital tax ('Digitalabgabe') for large platforms like Google and Meta, stating it is 'in a dead end.' In an exclusive interview with MEEDIA, he emphasized that the core issue is the lack of digital sovereignty and unequal liability rules. He calls for a graded liability system and a diversity obligation for platforms, arguing that transparency alone is insufficient. Schmiege also highlighted the risk of smaller publishers being disadvantaged by exclusive deals between platforms and major media houses, and discussed the impact of AI on media regulation, including the BLM's AI competence center and the world's first AI radio approval.

• Thorsten Schmiege, BLM President and DLM Chairman, criticizes the proposed digital tax as 'in a dead end'.
• Schmiege calls for graded liability rules and diversity obligations for platforms to ensure media diversity.
• He warns that exclusive deals between platforms and major media houses could disadvantage smaller providers.

Munich Media Days: Industry's Big Challenges Discussed

The 40th Medientage München conference, held from October 21-23, 2026, brings together media, politics, and business leaders to address key industry challenges: AI's impact, platform dominance, and journalism's future. BLM President Thorsten Schmiege and Medien.Bayern CEO Stefan Sutor highlight concerns over digital sovereignty, declining journalistic visibility on social platforms (e.g., only ~1% on TikTok feeds), and funding shifts. The event features panels on TV, audio, and AI, with over 5,000 attendees. A proposed Digitaler Medien-Staatsvertrag aims to enhance discoverability of journalistic content in recommendation systems, possibly via quotas (10-20% per BLM study). Debates also cover the legal status of podcasters, AI transparency rules, and potential digital levies on large platforms to support media diversity.

• 40th Medientage München to take place October 21-23, 2026, in Munich's Werksviertel, expecting over 5,000 participants.
• BLM study finds journalistic content makes up only about 1% of average TikTok feeds.
• German states plan a new Digitaler Medien-Staatsvertrag to improve discoverability of journalistic content in social feeds and recommendation systems.

Digital Radio Listening Rises: 66% Use DAB+ or Webradio

According to the 'Audio Trends 2026' study by the German media authorities (die Medienanstalten), 66% of radio listeners in Germany used digital reception paths (DAB+ or webradio) in the past four weeks, reaching a far listener circle of about 42 million people. This marks an increase from 64% in the previous year. Daily digital radio usage also grew to 42% of listeners. DAB+ remains the leading digital path, with 25 million users in four weeks, up by three percentage points. Webradio reached over 17 million users in four weeks. Household equipment is also expanding: 41% of households now own at least one DAB+ device, and over a quarter of the population has a DAB+ car radio. The study is based on a special evaluation of the ma Audio data by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Media-Analyse (agma).

• 66% of German radio listeners used DAB+ or webradio in the past four weeks (up from 64%).
• Reach: approximately 42 million people (far listener circle).
• Daily digital radio usage: 42% of listeners, accounting for nearly a quarter of total radio usage.