Observed Signal · May 24, 2026 · Ratings Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Bayern DFB-Pokal Final Tops Ratings but Below Year Ago
The DFB-Pokal final between FC Bayern München and VfB Stuttgart dominated German TV audiences on Saturday evening but attracted fewer viewers than in recent years. According to AGF SCOPE data, 6.79 million people watched the match on Das Erste (ARD) at 20:00, giving the channel a 36.3% market share overall and a 50.6% share among 14–49 year-olds. Sky's pay-TV broadcast drew around 390,000 viewers (2.1% overall, 4.5% in 14–49). Despite the presence of Bayern — returning to the final for the first time in six years — the total reach was lower than last year's final (over 0.75 million additional viewers) and well below peak finals in 2018/2019. The article was published by Uwe Mantel on 2026-05-24 and cites AGF Videoforschung / AGF SCOPE 1.9 as the data source.
Routine audience measurement for a major live sports broadcast; relevant for TV inventory and planning but not industry-shifting for AdTech/MarTech.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- 6.79 million viewers watched the DFB-Pokal final on Das Erste (ARD) on Saturday evening (match: FC Bayern München 3:0 VfB Stuttgart).
- Das Erste achieved a 36.3% market share overall and a 50.6% market share in the 14–49 age group for the broadcast.
- Sky's broadcast reached roughly 390,000 viewers, with market shares of 2.1% overall and 4.5% among 14–49 year-olds.
- AGF SCOPE data show this final's reach was lower than the previous year (over 0.75 million fewer viewers) and well below several earlier finals (almost 8 million two years ago; ~10 million in 2018/2019).
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Stuttgart's Late DFB-Pokal Win Delivers Strong TV Ratings
A DWDL.de report (published 2026-04-24) shows the DFB-Pokal semi-final between VfB Stuttgart and SC Freiburg delivered high linear-TV audiences across demographics. The match averaged 5.34 million viewers on Das Erste with a 27.9% market share overall and 1.20 million viewers (31.2% share) in the 14–49 demo. Sky’s pay channels attracted over 0.5 million viewers combined, recording more than a 5% share in the core target group. AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung is cited as the data source. The article also lists strong adjacent-program performance (e.g., Tagesthemen, Wer weiß denn sowas?) and provides top-program and top-channel daily figures for the day.
Sat.1 and Sky: Strongest Bundesliga Start Since 2023
The Bundesliga opening match on 28 August 2026 — FC Bayern Munich's 5:1 win over VfB Stuttgart — delivered very strong linear-TV audiences in Germany. Sat.1 averaged 4.3 million viewers in the first half and 4.48 million in the second half, securing clear day‑time wins and double‑digit market shares across key age groups. Sky's pay‑TV broadcast added 0.82 million viewers and posted above‑year‑ago market shares. Data are based on AGF SCOPE 1.15 preliminary weighted TV measurement.
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).
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