Joyn vs SPORT1

The Voice Hits Streaming Record, Babylon Berlin Strong

The AGF's program brand measurement data for calendar week 39 (September 21-27, 2026) shows that 'The Voice of Germany' reached a new streaming record of 511,000 unique viewers on Joyn, crossing the half-million mark for the first time since the metric was introduced in 2024. It was the strongest Joyn brand of the week. Meanwhile, ARD's 'Sportschau' led the overall streaming ranking with 1.767 million viewers, helped by the German national football team's match against Greece, closely followed by 'Babylon Berlin' with 1.75 million, which remained the most-watched fiction title. RTL's 'Oktagon MMA' also posted a streaming best outside the top 20. The data covers streaming on the providers' own platforms, excluding YouTube and social networks, and represents net reach, not average viewership.

• The Voice of Germany reached 511,000 streaming viewers on Joyn, a record for the brand and first time above 500,000.
• Sportschau led streaming rankings with 1.767 million viewers, followed by Babylon Berlin with 1.75 million.
• Babylon Berlin remained the most-watched fiction show, with a slight decrease of 143,000 viewers week-over-week.

Annette Frier, Sonja Schönemann Win Blauer Panther Award

Annette Frier and Sonja Schönemann will receive the 'Besondere kreative Gesamtleistung' (Special Creative Overall Achievement) award at the Blauer Panther ceremony on October 21, 2026, for their series 'Frier und Fünfzig' co-produced by Brainpool and Good Humor for Joyn and Sat.1. The jury praised the series for tackling a long-neglected topic with courage and entertainment, bringing a female life phase to television. Frier stars as a fictionalized version of herself navigating a midlife crisis, while Schönemann wrote the series. The award comes as part of a show concept where many winners are announced in advance.

• Annette Frier and Sonja Schönemann win the 'Besondere kreative Gesamtleistung' award at the Blauer Panther.
• 'Frier und Fünfzig' is a Joyn/Sat.1 series produced by Brainpool and Good Humor.
• The award ceremony takes place on October 21, 2026.

Babylon Berlin leads streaming ranking, Joyn's Villa loses momentum

In the second week of its run, the ARD series 'Babylon Berlin' significantly increased its streaming reach to 1.893 million weekly net viewers, leading the cross-provider ranking of all AGF-measured offers. The free-TV broadcast during the same week provided an additional attention boost. The US series 'Reacher' on Prime Video followed closely with 1.854 million. Meanwhile, the Sat.1 reality show 'Villa der Versuchung' on Joyn fell below the 500,000-viewer mark for the first time, reaching only 0.48 million weekly net reach. Other RTL reality formats like 'Sommerhaus der Stars' and 'Are You The One' performed well, while 'Love Island VIP' started slightly below last year's premiere. The data, provided by AGF Videoforschung for calendar week 38 (Sept 14-20, 2026), measures weekly net reach of program brands on streaming platforms, excluding YouTube and social media.

• Babylon Berlin reached a weekly net reach of 1.893 million in streaming, ranking first.
• Reacher on Prime Video reached 1.854 million weekly net viewers.
• Villa der Versuchung on Joyn fell below 500,000 reach, with 0.48 million.

Sport1 announces third season of 'Bitte lächeln'

Sport1 has announced a third season of its clip show 'Bitte lächeln', which airs in the pre-evening slot. The broadcaster will produce 24 new episodes starting October 26, airing three times per week at 7 PM. To support the new season, Sport1 purchased new mobile video material from the US, featuring everyday moments and mishaps. The show will include new segments and specials, including one focused on Mallorca and a ranking show for the funniest clips. The studio design has also been refreshed. 'Bitte lächeln' has been performing well in ratings, reaching up to 150,000 viewers. On Wednesday, it attracted 130,000 viewers, surpassing the evening 'Fantalk' Champions League show. The show is hosted by Christian Oberfuchshuber.

• Sport1 announced a third season of the clip show 'Bitte lächeln'.
• 24 new episodes will air from October 26, three times a week at 7 PM.
• Sport1 acquired new mobile video material from the US for the season.

Free-TV: TNA Wrestling kommt zu SPORT1

SPORT1 announces that TNA Wrestling will be broadcast in free-TV, starting October 13, 2026.

Sport1 Reports Higher Gross TV Ad Revenue in August

German sports broadcaster Sport1 saw a significant increase in gross TV advertising revenue in August 2026, according to Nielsen data. The channel reported gross ad revenue of €15.4 million, up 22.1% year-over-year, marking its largest percentage increase in a long time. This continues a positive trend for Sport1 after months of decline, attributed to its recent content transformation. The overall German TV advertising market, however, declined by 4.9% in August, with major sales houses like Ad Alliance, Seven.One Media, and El Cartel Brothers all reporting decreases. Despite the TV market's weakness, the total German advertising market grew slightly by 0.9%, driven by strong online (+14.7%) and cinema (+54.7%) growth.

• Sport1's gross TV ad revenue in August 2026 reached €15.4 million, up 22.1% year-over-year.
• The German TV advertising market declined by 4.9% in August 2026 compared to the previous year.
• Ad Alliance reported a 6.0% decrease in gross revenue in August, while Seven.One Media saw a smaller decline of 4.4%.