Joyn vs waipu.tv

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.

Fernsehen 2030: Zuschauer wollen KI, aber die Kontrolle behalten

Aktuelle waipu.tv Umfrage zum Fernsehverhalten in 4 - 5 Jahren. Wie entwickeln sich die Einflüsse von KI auf das Entertainmentverhalten und was beschäftigt die Menschen in Deutschland schon heute.

44% of Germans Struggle to Find TV Content Despite Abundance

A representative survey commissioned by TV provider Waipu.TV, conducted in August 2026 among over a thousand Germans, reveals a widespread content discovery dilemma. 44% of respondents say they cannot always find suitable programming despite extensive offerings, and an equal share sometimes end up watching nothing after extended searching. Only 30% know immediately what to watch upon arriving home. The survey also highlights strong consumer demand for simpler content discovery: 45% want easier findability, and 35% desire all content on a single surface. A majority (59%) would welcome AI-powered content suggestions, yet only 4% would allow AI to autonomously select films or plan their TV evening. Markus Härtenstein, CEO of Exaring AG, Waipu.TV's operator, emphasizes the need for simple access to entertainment variety and for AI to aid discovery while keeping the final choice personal.

• 44% of German respondents find no suitable TV program despite large content choice.
• 44% of respondents sometimes stop watching altogether after a prolonged search.
• 45% of respondents desire easier content findability; 35% want all content on one interface.

Freenet acquires full control of waipu.tv

German mobile carrier Freenet AG is acquiring the remaining 25% stake in Exaring AG, operator of online TV platform waipu.tv, from minority shareholders for an initial €76 million, valuing the company at around €300 million. Additional performance-based earn-out payments of up to €50 million may follow based on future success. The acquisition, fully financed from liquid funds, abandons plans for a waipu.tv IPO. Freenet sees waipu.tv's IPTV offering as a strategic growth driver in the German market, including potential in programmatic advertising, and maintains its dividend outlook. Waipu.tv serves approximately two million customers and holds a 20-25% market share in German IPTV. CEO Robin Harries and CFO Ingo Arnold highlighted the strategic benefits.

• Freenet acquires remaining 25% of Exaring AG, owner of waipu.tv, for initial €76 million.
• Company valuation is about €300 million; earn-out payments up to €50 million are possible.
• Acquisition is fully financed from liquid funds.