Observed Signal · Jul 26, 2026 · Ratings Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Das Erste Leads Saturday TV Ratings
Das Erste (ARD) was the clear market leader on Saturday across total viewers and the 14–49 and 14–59 age groups, driven by strong afternoon coverage of the Tour de France and evening programs such as 'Gefragt - gejagt' and the 'Tagesschau'. The 20th stage of the Tour averaged 1.24 million viewers (15.8% market share overall; 19.4% among 14–49-year-olds). 'Tagesschau' at 20:00 reached 4.08 million viewers (28.6%), ZDF's crime repeat 'Ostfriesenfluch' had 3.44 million (21.8%), and 'Gefragt - gejagt' drew 3.17 million (21.3%) with a 17.1% share among 14–49-year-olds. Late 'Tagesthemen' also saw elevated shares, reportedly influenced by coverage of the Berlin CSD attack.
Daily TV audience figures are routine measurement data relevant for broadcasters and TV advertisers but represent minor, routine industry news rather than industry-shifting developments.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Das Erste secured undisputed daily market leadership on Saturday across total viewers and the 14–49 and 14–59 age groups.
- The Tour de France stage 20 averaged 1.24 million viewers and a 15.8% market share overall; it reached a 19.4% market share among 14–49-year-olds.
- The 'Tagesschau' at 20:00 had 4.08 million viewers and a 28.6% market share, making it the most-watched broadcast of the day.
- ZDF's repeat of the crime drama 'Ostfriesenfluch' drew 3.44 million viewers (21.8% market share); 'Gefragt - gejagt' on Das Erste had 3.17 million viewers (21.3%) and 17.1% among 14–49-year-olds.
- Top channel day shares (all viewers) included Das Erste ~15.1%, ZDF ~11.6%, RTL ~7.1%, Sat.1 ~4.7%, and VOX ~3.5% (source: AGF SCOPE/AGF Videoforschung).
Connected Companies & Entities
7 Entities mapped“Das Erste on Saturday secured undisputed daily market leadership across total audience and the 14–49 and 14–59 age groups....”
“In primetime ZDF initially led with the repeat of the crime drama 'Ostfriesenfluch', which achieved 3.44 million viewers and a 21.8% market ...”
“Eurosport 1, with its parallel broadcast of the Tour de France, collected an additional 4.7% market share....”
“Source of the data for this article: AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE 1.15; market standard: moving image; preliminary weighted data)....”
“© DWDL.de GmbH 2001-2026 (publisher of the article)....”
“Photo credit for an image used in the article: © NDR / Uwe Ernst....”
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Das Erste Leads Friday TV Ratings; ZDF Comedy Wins Younger Viewers
DWDL reports TV ratings for Friday, 14 August 2026: Das Erste (ARD) dominated the evening with live coverage of the European Athletics and Swimming Championships, drawing multi-million audiences and high market shares, especially among 14–49-year-olds. ZDF achieved solid overall ratings with crime repeats and scored well with younger viewers through late-night comedy (including a 'heute-show Spezial' and 'ZDF Comedy Sommer' with Till Reiners). Commercial broadcasters (RTL, Sat.1, ProSieben, RTLzwei, Kabel Eins, VOX) recorded generally weaker performance. Data source: AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE 1.15).
Tour de France Tops 20% TV Market Share
ARD and Eurosport together achieved more than a 20% market share among younger viewers on Friday during the 13th stage of the Tour de France. The live broadcast on Das Erste averaged 1.06 million viewers across almost four hours, delivering a 13.0% share in the total audience and 16.5% among 14–49 year‑olds. Eurosport 1’s parallel live feed contributed an additional 4.1% share with an average of about 200,000 viewers, bringing the combined young‑audience share above 20%. After the race, Das Erste’s quiz show “Gefragt – gejagt” rose to 1.93 million viewers (17.4% total share) and also performed strongly with younger viewers. ZDF’s afternoon programming performed well independently, with “Bares für Rares” and a “Rosenheim-Cops” repeat posting high reach and double‑digit market shares. All audience figures are credited to AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung (preliminary weighted data).
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.
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