Observed Signal · Aug 3, 2026 · Ratings Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
ARD and ZDF series struggle in late‑night ratings
German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF saw strong early-evening viewing (notably Tatort and heute-journal) on 02 August 2026, but new late-night series performed weakly. ARD's Surface — Das versunkene Dorf opened with up to 15.5% market share in its first week but saw linear viewers fall to 1.64 million and 1.19 million for subsequent episodes, with late-evening shares around 9.4–9.6% and very low 14–49 audience figures (4.2% and 3.4%). ZDF's new Back Up — Auf Streife mit der Ex premiered at 22:15 with about 1.38 million viewers (9.6%) and a follow-up episode at 930,000 viewers (9.7%), delivering 14–49 shares of 3.1% and 2.2%. The data source is AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE 1.15).
Linear TV ratings affect inventory and advertiser reach for broadcasters and buyers; this is a localized German-market ratings update rather than industry‑wide platform or policy change.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- ARD's Surface — Das versunkene Dorf reached up to 15.5% market share at its first-week late-night start.
- In the second week, Surface episodes drew 1.64 million and 1.19 million linear viewers, with late-evening market shares of about 9.4% and 9.6%.
- Surface delivered weak younger-audience (14–49) market shares of 4.2% and 3.4% (14–59: 5.4% and 5.1%).
- ZDF's Back Up — Auf Streife mit der Ex premiered at 22:15 with ~1.38 million viewers and a 9.6% market share; a subsequent episode had 930,000 viewers and 9.7%.
- Back Up recorded 14–49 audience shares of 3.1% and 2.2%; by contrast the heute-journal beforehand had 3.66 million viewers and 20.1% overall (13.9% among young viewers).
Connected Companies & Entities
5 Entities mapped“Mit "Tatort", "Frühling" und dem "heute-journal" waren ARD und ZDF am Sonntagabend erfolgreich....”
“Mit "Tatort", "Frühling" und dem "heute-journal" waren ARD und ZDF am Sonntagabend erfolgreich....”
“Quelle der Daten für diesen Artikel: AGF Videoforschung...”
“URL zu diesem Artikel: https://www.dwdl.de/... © DWDL.de GmbH, 2001-2026...”
“© ARD Degeto Film/France Télévisions/Quad Drama/Baptiste Langinier (image credit)...”
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
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ARD's Sträter, ZDF's heute-show Specials Win Ratings
On 17 July 2026, both Germany's public broadcasters achieved strong late‑night ratings with comedy programming. ZDF's "heute-show extra" edition presented by Valerie Niehaus averaged 1.93 million viewers (13.8% market share) and performed strongly with 14–49s (310,000 viewers; 12.7%). A subsequent "heute-show extra – Das Quiz" reached 1.35 million viewers and about 8.1% among younger viewers. Parallel on Das Erste, Torsten Sträter's stage program "Mach mal das große Licht an" drew 1.46 million viewers (11.9%) and 10.1% in the 14–49 demo. Primetime highlights included ARD's Tagesschau (4.01 million; 23.9%) and ZDF's Der Alte (3.83 million; 21.5%). Data source cited is AGF (AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung).
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.
Old RTL Crime Repeat Nears Two Million Viewers
A repeat of RTL's crime show "Behringer und die Toten" drew 1.90 million viewers on August 4, 2026, giving RTL a 10.9% primetime market share and placing it ahead of ZDF in total reach. The episode performed less strongly in younger demos (7.7% for ages 14–59; 4.9% for 14–49). ZDF's primetime offerings underperformed in total reach ("Besseresser Challenge" ~1.0 million; 5.7% share), but a later ZDF "Frontal" documentary on the Deutsche Bahn lifted younger-audience numbers (1.62 million total, 9.1% overall; 390,000 viewers 14–49, 14.8% in that demo). The evening's highest single reach was ARD's "Die Kanzlei" (2.74 million) while ZDF's "heute journal" reached 2.48 million. Data source: AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung.
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