Observed Signal · Aug 17, 2026 · Audience Measurement / Ratings Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
3sat Wins Audience During 'Tatort' Hiatus
With Das Erste preempting the regular 'Tatort' on 16 August 2026 for athletics and swimming coverage, several German broadcasters aired crime alternatives. 3sat led the substitutes: its Spreewaldkrimi repeat averaged 0.86 million viewers (approx. 4.1% market share) and a follow-up held 0.67 million (3.9%). NDR's repeat of Polizeiruf 110 averaged 0.79 million (3.7%) and WDR's Tatort repeat reached 0.74 million (3.5%). 3sat's strong primetime contributed to a high Sunday day market share of 2.5%, one of its strongest days in 2026. The article cites audience measurement data from AGF (AGF SCOPE 1.15) and was published on DWDL.de on 2026-08-17 by Uwe Mantel.
Provides audience measurement results showing how alternative broadcasters captured viewers when a major channel preempted scheduled programming; relevant for ad buyers, schedulers and media planners but not industry-shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- 3sat's 'Spreewaldkrimi - Eine tödliche Legende' averaged 0.86 million viewers and a ~4.1% market share.
- 3sat's subsequent 'Spreewaldkrimi - Mörderische Hitze' averaged 0.67 million viewers and a ~3.9% market share.
- NDR's repeat 'Polizeiruf 110: Söhne Rostocks' averaged 0.79 million viewers and a ~3.7% nationwide market share.
- WDR's 'Tatort' repeat averaged 0.74 million viewers and a ~3.5% market share.
- 3sat achieved a Sunday day market share of 2.5%, making it one of the channel's strongest days in 2026.
Connected Companies & Entities
7 Entities mapped“Hunderttausende Krimi-Fans, die am Sonntag gewohnheitsmäßig Das Erste einschalteten, stießen dort auf Sport statt "Tatort"....”
“Der WDR zeigte einen alten "Tatort" aus Köln,...”
“im NDR wurde der "Polizeiruf 110: Söhne Rostocks" wiederholt...”
“Da im ZDF wie üblich "Herzkino" angesagt war, versuchten gleich mehrere andere Sender diese Lücke zu füllen....”
“© DWDL.de GmbH 2001-2026...”
“Quelle der Daten für diesen Artikel: AGF Videoforschung...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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Repeat 'Tatort' Outperforms Football Viewers
DWDL reports that a repeat episode of the long‑running German crime series "Tatort" drew strong linear TV audiences on Sunday, positioning it as the largest non‑football follower during a ZDF national team match. The 20:15 repeat averaged 5.13 million viewers on Das Erste (ARD) for a 21.5% market share; the earlier Tagesschau reached 6.02 million (28.6%). Among 14–49 year‑olds, Tagesschau posted a 24.5% share and Tatort attracted 580,000 viewers (11.6%). The article cites AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung as the data source and summarizes market‑share performance across public and private broadcasters (ZDF, ARD/Das Erste, RTL, RTLzwei, ProSieben, Sat.1, VOX, Kabel Eins). TV reach figures refer to the broadcast day 2026‑05‑31; the article was published 2026‑06‑01.
Repeat Tatort Dominates Sunday Primetime Ratings
A repeat episode of Tatort ('Man stirbt nur zweimal') led Sunday primetime in Germany despite the long summer pause, drawing 6.36 million viewers on May 10, 2026. The broadcast delivered a 28.3% market share overall, 23.3% among 14–59-year-olds and 19.4% among 14–49-year-olds. ZDF's drama 'Neuer Wind im Alten Land' (season 2) finished with 3.52 million viewers and a 15.6% market share, marking lower linear reach compared with its first season. The report notes a broader trend of declining linear TV reach: the second season's episode audiences (3.44–3.93 million) trailed last year's (4.22–5.17 million). Daytime returns included ZDF-Fernsehgarten with 1.28 million viewers (17.7% market share). Data source cited is AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung; the article was published by DWDL.de on 2026-05-11.
Wiener Tatort Tops Sunday TV Ratings
DWDL reports that the new Vienna 'Tatort' episode ("Gegen die Zeit") led German Sunday viewing, drawing about 7.60 million viewers and a 30.9% market share, ahead of the 20:00 Tagesschau (6.97 million; 31.1% during its timeslot). In the key 14–49 demographic the Tagesschau reached 1.32 million viewers (31.5% share) while the Tatort had 1.03 million (21.4%). Competitive highlights: ProSieben’s entertainment show "Ein sehr gutes Quiz" reached an 11.0% share in the target group with ~640,000 average viewers, RTL’s film "Jungle Cruise" delivered ~1.76 million viewers and a 10.3% share, and VOX’s "Kitchen Impossible" had ~900,000 viewers (8.1% in 14–49). ZDF’s "Neuer Wind im Alten Land" was the second-biggest drama with ~3.44 million viewers. Data source: AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE).
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