NDR vs ZDFneo

GEMA Awards Radio Culture Prize to NDR Kultur and FluxFM

The German music rights organization GEMA has awarded its annual Radio Culture Prize to NDR Kultur and FluxFM. NDR Kultur was honored for its sophisticated music program focusing on classical, jazz, and vocal/instrumental music, as well as its commitment to live productions and music education. FluxFM received the award in the 'Popular Music' category, recognized for its high proportion of niche repertoire and remarkable program diversity, having played 13,700 different works in 2025. The award, presented for the eleventh time, honors radio programs that demonstrate musical diversity and promote cultural offerings. Both stations were praised for their commitment to music beyond the mainstream. Executives from both stations expressed their appreciation, highlighting the importance of curation and editorial stance in the digital age.

• GEMA awarded its Radio Culture Prize to NDR Kultur and FluxFM on October 16, 2026, in Berlin.
• NDR Kultur was honored for its sophisticated music program focusing on classical, jazz, and vocal/instrumental music.
• FluxFM received the award in the 'Popular Music' category and played 13,700 different works in 2025.

Filmfest Hamburg: NDR Nachwuchspreis geht an Ezequiel Salinas und Ramiro Sonzini für ihren Film „The Night is Fading Away“ / Zwei Preise für NDR Produktionen

Der NDR Nachwuchspreis beim Filmfest Hamburg geht in diesem Jahr an die Regisseure Ezequiel Salinas und Ramiro Sonzini für ihren Film „The Night is Fading Away“.

Christian Sieh to Lead AI Transformation at Studio Hamburg Production Group

Christian Sieh has been appointed as the new Head of AI Transformation at the Studio Hamburg Production Group (SHPG), a role created to consolidate the group's AI expertise across its twelve production subsidiaries. Sieh, who previously built an AI unit at SHPG's subsidiary AlwaysOn Production, will now drive AI adoption group-wide, focusing not only on efficiency gains but also on developing new production capabilities and business opportunities. The unit he established, which produced the AI-animated series 'Die Bremer Stammtischmusikanten' for Radio Bremen and NDR, will be led by Ari Flieger moving forward. SHPG's CEO Michael Lehmann emphasized AI as a strategic pillar, while Sieh highlighted the importance of using AI as a tool to support creative employees and improve production economics.

• Christian Sieh is appointed Head of AI Transformation at Studio Hamburg Production Group (SHPG).
• SHPG consolidates its AI competencies into a new global business unit 'AI Transformation'.
• The unit will drive AI adoption across all twelve production subsidiaries of SHPG.

Wilsberg rerun hits near 2 million viewers on ZDFneo

On Wednesday evening, ZDFneo attracted nearly two million viewers with a rerun of the crime series "Wilsberg," reaching its highest audience of the year. The 1.99 million viewers and 9.4% market share among the total audience represent a significant success for the channel, likely boosted by the absence of similar crime programming on Das Erste and ZDF. However, the following mystery thriller series "Die Düsteren" failed to benefit from the strong lead-in, with viewership dropping to 480,000 for its first episode and continued declines throughout the night. The article provides detailed ratings data from AGF Videoforschung.

• ZDFneo attracted 1.99 million viewers for a 'Wilsberg' rerun on Wednesday evening.
• This was the highest audience for 'Wilsberg' on ZDFneo this year.
• The mystery series 'Die Düsteren' drew only 480,000 viewers for its first episode after the strong lead-in.

ZDFneo Hits Ratings Highs with Hollywood Films

ZDFneo achieved strong television ratings on Saturday evening, driven by a lineup of Hollywood films including two 'Men in Black' movies and 'Hancock'. The channel reached a daily market share of 4.0 percent among viewers aged 14-49, outperforming Kabel Eins and RTLzwei. The movie 'Men in Black' at 20:15 drew 180,000 young viewers (4.9% market share), followed by 'Men in Black 3' with a 5.1% share. 'Hancock' later held 380,000 viewers, with 7.5% market share in the younger demographic. Earlier in the day, 'Terra X' documentaries and the science show 'Maithink X' also performed well. The 'Tatort' repeat on WDR also attracted 700,000 viewers. All data is based on AGF Videoforschung.

• ZDFneo achieved a daily market share of 4.0% among viewers aged 14-49 on Saturday.
• 'Men in Black' at 20:15 reached 180,000 young viewers (4.9% market share).
• 'Men in Black 3' followed with 5.1% market share among young viewers.

ARD Scores Highest Wednesday Reach in 4.5 Years

On Wednesday evening, the ARD's prime-time thriller 'Frau ohne Namen' drew 5.36 million viewers, securing a 26.1% market share and marking the broadcaster's highest reach for that slot in four and a half years. The success was partly attributed to a weak performance by ZDF's 'Lass dich überwachen' with Jan Böhmermann, which only attracted 1.01 million viewers (4.9% market share), its lowest ever. The ARD film also performed well among younger audiences (14-49) with 10.2% share. The strong lead-in boosted the following program 'Plusminus' to 3.05 million viewers, its best since May 2024. ZDF's 'heute journal' managed 2.24 million viewers. An old 'Wilsberg' episode on ZDFneo outperformed the main ZDF channel in prime time with 1.44 million viewers.

• ARD's 'Frau ohne Namen' attracted 5.36 million viewers and a 26.1% market share on Wednesday.
• This was ARD's highest prime-time Wednesday reach in 4.5 years.
• ZDF's 'Lass dich überwachen' hit an all-time low with 1.01 million viewers (4.9% market share).