DWDL.de vs Koelnmesse

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.

Imaging World moves to Cologne: Koelnmesse and RINGFOTO to jointly manage the photography, video and content creation festival starting in 2027

Koelnmesse expands its event portfolio with the acquisition of Imaging World. RINGFOTO and Koelnmesse to jointly host and organise the established trade fair for photography and video. First edition at the new location to be held from 24 to 26 September 2027 under the new name 'Imaging World inspired by photokina'.

German TV Award Moves Venue for Fresh Presentations

The German Television Award (Deutscher Fernsehpreis) will move its annual ceremony from the MMC studios in Cologne-Ossendorf to the newly opened Confex conference center in Cologne-Deutz. Jan Peter Lacher, RTL representative and chairman of the Fernsehpreis advisory board, cited the award's growth in categories and partners as a reason for the change. Production company Riverside Entertainment will produce the show, aiming to visually connect it with the city of Cologne for TV audiences. The venue offers a central location, a longer red carpet, and space for side events. A new 'Golden Hour' reception with the NRW prime minister and Cologne's mayor will precede the awards. The dress code remains 'Black Tie'.

• The German Television Award ceremony moves from MMC studios to the Confex venue in Cologne.
• The new venue is the Confex, a conference and exhibition center opened two years ago.
• Riverside Entertainment is the production company for the ceremony.

Koelnmesse Makes ISM Its Umbrella Brand

Koelnmesse will reposition the ISM trade fair as a broader umbrella brand. Starting next year, the organiser will run three specialised ISM formats intended to cover all stages of the confectionery value chain. The change includes retiring the Pro Sweets Cologne name. The announcement was reported by Lebensmittelzeitung (Redaktion LZ) on 2026-08-25.

• Koelnmesse will establish ISM as an umbrella brand for its confectionery trade fair.
• From next year, Koelnmesse will stage three specialised ISM formats covering all stages of the value chain.
• The name 'Pro Sweets Cologne' will be discontinued under the new ISM positioning.