DWDL.de vs Handelsblatt Research Institut

Real Innovation in TV Entertainment Has Become Rare

In an interview, German Television Award jury member and DWDL.de editor Alexander Krei discusses trends in non-fictional television entertainment. He notes that rising budget pressures across broadcasting houses have made genuine innovation rare, particularly on major show stages. However, exceptions exist, such as Sat.1's reality format 'Villa der Versuchung' and public broadcasting's 'Die Werwölfe'. Krei also observes a shift in comedy, where establishing new TV formats has become increasingly difficult due to competition from niche platforms like TikTok, prompting a strategic focus on evolving existing established brands like 'TV total' and 'Die Anstalt'.

• Alexander Krei, a jury member for the German Television Award, notes that budget pressures are stifling television show innovation.
• Sat.1 introduced 'Villa der Versuchung,' a German-developed reality format focusing on financial elements.
• Public broadcasters in Germany successfully experimented with reality TV through the format 'Die Werwölfe'.

Giovanni Zarrella Achieves Highest Market Share Since Early 2024

ZDF's first open-air edition of The Giovanni Zarrella Show, recorded at the ZDF-Fernsehgarten, attracted about 2.9 million viewers on Saturday evening and achieved a 16.8% overall market share — the highest for the program in roughly two and a half years. The show logged 9.1% among 14–49 year‑olds and 10.5% among 14–59 year‑olds. The late news program heute-journal that followed reached 2.14 million viewers and a 17.1% market share, while Aktuelle Sportstudio drew 1.35 million viewers (16.2% overall, 8.4% in 14–49). Daily market shares for Das Erste and ZDF were each 13.1%. AGF Videoforschung / AGF SCOPE 1.15 is cited as the data source for the ratings.

• ZDF broadcast the first open-air edition of The Giovanni Zarrella Show, recorded at the ZDF-Fernsehgarten.
• The Giovanni Zarrella Show drew approximately 2.9 million viewers and a 16.8% overall market share.
• Demographic ratings: 9.1% market share (age 14–49) and 10.5% (age 14–59) for the show.

ProSieben Reshuffles Monday Sitcom Lineup

ProSieben will change its Monday evening sitcom schedule effective 14 September after three weeks of weak ratings. The broadcaster will air four consecutive Germany-premiere episodes of Georgie & Mandy, pushing Ted roughly 55 minutes later to about 22:05 (with a new-season episode followed by a season-1 repeat). St. Denis Medical will move to a later 23:15 slot with back-to-back episodes airing as Free-TV premieres. The changes follow disappointing audience figures since the August 10 schedule rollout: Georgie & Mandy averaged 6.6% in the key 14–49 demo (with wide fluctuation), Ted’s new episodes peaked at 4.3%, and St. Denis Medical averaged just above 2%, hitting a low of 0.5% (approx. 60,000 total viewers) in the demo.

• ProSieben will restructure its Monday evening schedule effective 2026-09-14.
• Four episodes of the sitcom 'Georgie & Mandy' will air back-to-back as Germany premieres.
• The show 'Ted' will be delayed by about 55 minutes to a ~22:05 start and will present a new second-season episode followed by a season-1 repeat.

Andrea Wasmuth, Sebastian Christensen und Stefan Buhr leiten Holtzbrinck Media

Zum 01. Januar 2027 übernehmen Andrea Wasmuth, bislang Vorsitzende der Geschäftsführung der Handelsblatt Media Group und der DvH Medien, Sebastian Christensen, Geschäftsführer der Handelsblatt Media Group, und Stefan Buhr, Geschäftsführer der Tagesspiegel Gruppe, die Geschäftsführung der Holtzbrinck Media. Andrea Wasmuth wird Vorsitzende der Geschäftsführung.

Holtzbrinck Media Names Leadership Trio for New Group

The leadership team for the newly formed integrated publishing group Holtzbrinck Media has been announced. The group, created from the merger of Handelsblatt Media Group, Tagesspiegel Group, and Dieter von Holtzbrinck Medien, will launch on January 1, 2027. Andrea Wasmuth, previously head of Handelsblatt, will chair the management trio, joined by Sebastian Christensen and Stefan Buhr. Christensen, a managing director at Handelsblatt since 2023, and Buhr, Tagesspiegel's managing director since April 2025, bring complementary expertise. Nicolas Köhn, Tagesspiegel's co-managing director, will depart at year-end after leading its digital growth, increasing Tagesspiegel Plus subscriptions from around 30,000 to over 50,000. The new team aims to combine strengths for a modern media house, following publisher Dieter von Holtzbrinck's decision to consolidate his holdings and sell his 50% stake in 'Zeit'.

• Holtzbrinck Media will be formed on January 1, 2027, from Handelsblatt Media Group, Tagesspiegel Group, and Dieter von Holtzbrinck Medien.
• Andrea Wasmuth will chair the management board, joined by Sebastian Christensen and Stefan Buhr.
• Nicolas Köhn will step down as managing director of Tagesspiegel Group at the end of 2026.

Jan Kleibrink Takes Leadership Role at Tagesspiegel Background

Jan Kleibrink has been appointed as Managing Director Publishing at Tagesspiegel Background, a Berlin-based provider of specialized political information. He will lead the new professional information unit of Holtzbrinck Media together with Charlotte Morré, who heads the editorial and product side. The unit combines Tagesspiegel Background and the Handelsblatt Research Institute (HRI). Kleibrink will focus on business development including sales, marketing, licensing, and customer retention. His goal is to create a one-stop shop for specialized policy and economic news. He previously served as Chief Growth Officer and Managing Director at HRI. The move signals closer cooperation between the Handelsblatt Media Group and Tagesspiegel under the Holtzbrinck Media umbrella.

• Jan Kleibrink becomes Managing Director Publishing at Tagesspiegel Background.
• He co-leads the new professional information unit of Holtzbrinck Media with Charlotte Morré.
• The new unit combines Tagesspiegel Background and Handelsblatt Research Institute (HRI).