ServusTV vs SPORT1

ServusTV Twice Saved from Closure in 2016

This article recounts ServusTV's turbulent history, focusing on dramatic episodes in 2016 when owner Red Bull (and its founder Dietrich Mateschitz) twice announced shutdowns only to reverse course days or weeks later. In April 2016 Ferdinand Wegscheider became head of the channel, shortly before Red Bull announced a planned closure that was withdrawn after employees agreed not to form a works council. On 31 July 2016 Red Bull again announced ending German broadcasts, then reversed that decision and continued. The piece traces subsequent developments: criticism during the COVID era, Dietrich Mateschitz's death in October 2022, ServusTV ending linear broadcasting in Germany at the end of 2023 and moving content to the streaming service ServusTV On, and leadership changes and restructurings through 2025.

• Ferdinand Wegscheider was appointed head of ServusTV in April 2016.
• Shortly after Wegscheider's promotion Red Bull announced ServusTV would be closed for 'economic' reasons, then reversed that decision within a day after staff agreed not to form a works council.
• On 2016-07-31 Red Bull announced it would end ServusTV's broadcast operations in Germany, but reversed this decision weeks later and continued transmissions beyond 2017.

ServusTV Big World Cup Winner; ORF III Staff Warn

ServusTV and ORF 1 were the clear TV winners during the World Cup in June, with ServusTV more than doubling its usual audience to 10.7% market share overall (14.2% among 12–49) and ORF 1 reaching 14.0% (16.7% among 12–49). ServusTV’s Austria–Spain match attracted about 2.30 million viewers and record market shares. Personnel shifts include Patrick Schubert leaving ProSiebenSat.1Puls4 to join ServusTV as Head of Editorial TV from 1 October 2026. ServusTV also secured a sublicence deal with Eurosport to show six Tour de France stages per year, including 2027. Meanwhile ORF III staff published an open letter warning against severe cuts to the culture channel amid speculation about halving its roughly €15 million program budget. ORF-Enterprise is now led interimistically by Matthias Seiringer after the departure of advertising chief Oliver Böhm; Clemens Pig is confirmed as incoming ORF general director from 1 January 2027.

• ServusTV achieved a 10.7% market share across all viewers in June 2026 and 14.2% among 12–49-year-olds, its second-strongest month ever.
• ORF 1 recorded a 14.0% monthly market share (16.7% among 12–49), and the ORF group reached 34.0% market share (highest June value in five years).
• Approximately 2.30 million viewers watched ServusTV’s Austria vs Spain match, with a 71.2% market share overall and 81.5% among 12–49-year-olds.

ServusTV Extends F1 Rights; ORF Fires Advertising Chief

ServusTV has announced a contract extension to retain free-to-air Formula 1 broadcast rights in Austria through 2029; it currently shares coverage of the races with public broadcaster ORF, whose continued participation is still unclear. ORF confirmed the immediate and final dismissal of its head of advertising, Oliver Böhm, after an internal investigation following earlier suspension for compliance allegations. MagentaTV has halved the price of its World Cup package in Austria to €9.90. Separately, Clemens Pig was elected ORF director-general effective 2027, but the appointment of his directors has been postponed and is now expected in August; the application deadline remains 14 July. The article also reports strong World Cup TV audience figures for both ORF and ServusTV.

• ServusTV announced an extension of its Formula 1 broadcast rights in Austria through 2029.
• ServusTV currently shares Formula 1 race broadcasts with ORF; ORF's ongoing participation is not yet confirmed.
• ORF has dismissed its head of advertising, Oliver Böhm, following an internal investigation after an earlier suspension.

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%.

SPORT1 Presse-News: Super League 2026 live im Free-TV, PS Profis Staffel 2, Survivor, Icon League, Darts-Deal mit DAZN, Partnerschaft mit Gambit Technologies

Die Presse-News-Seite von SPORT1 zeigt aktuelle Pressemitteilungen, darunter die Übertragung der Super League 2026 im Free-TV, den Start der zweiten Staffel von 'PS Profis', das neue Abenteuerformat 'Survivor', den Start der Icon League, einen Fünf-Jahres-Deal mit DAZN für PDC-Darts-Rechte sowie eine strategische Partnerschaft mit Gambit Technologies.

SPORT1-Fantalk geht in die neue Saison

SPORT1-Fantalk, the cult show, returns for a new season. Also, SPORT1 launched a new football format '45 – Die Fußball-Halbzeit auf SPORT1' and its podcast 'DEEP DIVE' reached 25 million streams in season 1.