Observed Signal · Aug 25, 2026 · Audience Measurement Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
ARD and RTL Score with DFB-Pokal Among Younger Viewers
Broadcasters ARD (Das Erste) and RTL drew strong young-audience TV ratings for DFB-Pokal matches on August 24, 2026, according to AGF data. RTL's early evening broadcast recorded market shares of 14.7% and 15.9% in the classic target group across the two halves, with reach rising from 940,000 to 1.41 million viewers between halves. Das Erste's primetime match (Hallescher FC vs. FC Schalke 04) averaged 2.65 million viewers (14.9% market share) and 16.4% in the 14–49 demo. ZDF led overall primetime with a Sarah Kohr repeat that reached 4.32 million viewers (20.6%). Data source: AGF SCOPE 1.15 (preliminary weighted TV data).
Provides recent audience metrics showing live-sports appeal among younger demos — useful for media planning and ad targeting but not industry-shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- ZDF's repeat 'Sarah Kohr: Koma' reached 4.32 million viewers and 20.6% market share (all viewers).
- Das Erste's DFB-Pokal: Hallescher FC - FC Schalke 04 averaged 2.65 million viewers and a 14.9% market share (all viewers); 16.4% market share in ages 14–49.
- RTL's DFB-Pokal broadcast delivered market shares of 14.7% (first half) and 15.9% (second half) in the classic target group; reach rose from 940,000 to 1.41 million viewers between halves.
- In the extended 14–59 target group, RTL recorded market shares of 11.8% and 11.5% for the two halves, above channel average.
- All audience figures are reported as preliminary, weighted data from AGF SCOPE 1.15 (AGF Videoforschung).
Connected Companies & Entities
5 Entities mapped“In the primetime Das Erste broadcast the match Hallescher FC - Schalke 04, which averaged 2.65 million viewers and 14.9% market share....”
“ZDF led the overall audience with a repeat of the crime drama 'Sarah Kohr: Koma', attracting 4.32 million viewers and a 20.6% market share....”
“Source for the article's audience data: AGF SCOPE 1.15; Marktstandard: Bewegtbild; vorläufig gewichtete Daten....”
“Publisher of the article (© DWDL.de GmbH, 2001-2026) and host of the ratings summary....”
“RTL's early-evening DFB-Pokal transmission achieved 14.7% market share in the classic target group in the first half and 15.9% in the second...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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Old ARD Crime Drama Beats DFB-Pokal Ratings
Germany's primetime ratings featured two contrasting evenings. On Friday, 21 August 2026, Das Erste's repeat of 'Der Zürich-Krimi' won with 3.96 million viewers and a 20.9% share, beating ZDF's DFB-Pokal broadcast (2.64 million, 14.5%). The Tagesschau was the night's top program at 4.77 million (26.4%), and Das Erste led the daily market share with 12.8%. On a Tuesday, ZDF's 'Friesland' rerun edged out Das Erste's DFB-Pokal match (Osnabrück vs. Bayern) with 4.66 million (22.2%) to 4.40 million (22.0%), but the football dominated 14- to 49-year-olds with a 27.2% share versus 4.3% for 'Friesland'. ARD's 'Die Derbys' drew just 810,000 viewers, and ZDF's 'Die Lebensretter von Murnau' set a series low of 1.52 million. All data from AGF Videoforschung.
RTL tops key demographics with DFB-Pokal broadcast
RTL's DFB-Pokal broadcast of Borussia Dortmund versus HEBC Hamburg attracted 3.03 million viewers during the first half, a 14.5 percent market share. The second half drew 2.46 million viewers (13.9 percent). RTL was the strongest channel of the evening among viewers aged 14-49 and 14-59, reaching market shares of 21.8 and 18.5 percent respectively in the first half. On ProSieben, 'TV Total' remained stable with 830,000 viewers and a 10.6 percent share among 14-49. Vox performed weakly with two repeats of 'Hot oder Schrott' at 4.1 and 4.2 percent. Data source: AGF Videoforschung.
RTL Football Dominates; ZDFneo Performs Well
DWDL.de reported on TV audience figures for broadcasts on 6 June 2026. RTL's live coverage of the Germany friendly drew the largest audience (nearly nine million viewers) and secured an exceptionally high share among 14–49-year-olds, leaving competing prime-time programmes with substantially smaller audiences. The public broadcasters ZDF and Das Erste posted solid results with a ZDF repeat of "Ein starkes Team" (3.03 million; 14.5%) and Das Erste's repeat of "Im Netz der Gier" (1.92 million; 9.2%). Commercial channels performed variably: Sat.1 had the best 14–49 performance among non-football programmes, ProSieben underperformed in the young demo, and ZDFneo had a strong day in the 14–49 demo (4.0%), boosted by multiple "Star Trek" films (between ~480k–510k viewers and rising 14–49 shares). Data source: AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung.
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