Observed Signal · Sep 7, 2026 · Earnings Report · Source: Meedia · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
German TV Ratings: State Election Boosts ARD, RTL's Gladiators Flop
This German media analysis covers weekend TV ratings, highlighting strong viewership for public broadcasters ARD and ZDF due to state election coverage in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Berlin. ARD's 8pm Tagesschau reached 7.73 million viewers on Sunday (in one state) and 7.91 million in another context, while ZDF's election specials and 'heute journal' also performed well. In contrast, private broadcasters struggled: RTL's 'Gladiators' flopped with only 470,000 viewers, ProSieben's quiz show underperformed, and RTL's NFL coverage attracted just 530,000. Sat.1 fared better with 'Julia Leischik sucht' and 'Jurassic World'. The report also details streaming charts for Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+, noting new entries and top titles, and lists top German YouTube videos, including a podcast interview with the Russian ambassador. Data is based on AGF video research and official streaming charts.
Relevant to German TV industry, but not directly AdTech/MarTech; focuses on TV ratings and streaming charts.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- ARD's 8pm Tagesschau drew 7.73 million viewers (34.0% share) on Sunday due to Saxony-Anhalt election coverage, and 7.91 million (32.7%) on another day.
- ZDF's election coverage and 'heute journal' (3.38 million, 16.0% share) performed well, while 'Rosamunde Pilcher' attracted 4.15 million (19.0%).
- RTL's 'Gladiators' flopped with 470,000 viewers (2.6% share), and NFL coverage managed only 530,000 (2.2% share).
- Sat.1 led private broadcasters with 'Jurassic World' (1.11 million, 5.4% share) and 'Julia Leischik sucht'.
- Top streaming titles included Netflix's 'The Gentlemen' and Disney+'s 'The Mandalorian and Grogu', while YouTube's top video was a Russian ambassador interview podcast with over 2 million views.
Connected Companies & Entities
13 Entities mapped“The strong numbers are of course due to the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, which generated enormous interest among politically interested...”
“Successful program of the private broadcasters was the Sat.1 pre-evening series 'Julia Leischik sucht: Bitte melde dich'....”
“ProSieben with 'Deadpool 2' to 0.64 million and comparatively decent 3.1 percent....”
“At 8:15 pm, the 'Summer Special' of 'Grill den Henssler' prevailed: 1.11 million corresponded to 6.0 percent....”
“'Willkommen bei den Reimanns' jumped at Kabel Eins with 0.32 million and 7.7 percent....”
“ZDF reached 2.01 million (14.4 percent) from 5:40 pm to 7 pm....”
“The documentary 'Drehkreuz des Drogenschmuggels - Flughafen Kolumbien' was watched by 0.13 million at 10:10 pm....”
“A few new releases made it into the German Netflix charts over the weekend....”
“In the German charts of Prime Video there is one new and one re-entry at 9 and 10....”
“The German Disney+ charts are still dominated by the latest 'Star Wars' film 'The Mandalorian and Grogu'....”
“The pre-evening game between Schalke 04 and FC Bayern was broadcast on Sky Sport Bundesliga and Sky Sport Top Event....”
“RTL came with 'The King's Man: The Beginning' to 1.03 million and weak 5.0 percent....”
“The pre-evening game between Schalke 04 and FC Bayern was broadcast on Sky Sport Bundesliga and Sky Sport Top Event....”
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Saxony-Anhalt Election Aftershocks Boost German TV Ratings
The day after the Saxony-Anhalt state election, German TV networks saw significant ratings boosts from special election coverage. Das Erste performed strongly, with a 45-minute 'Brennpunkt' special attracting 3.0 million viewers (14.1% market share) and the 'Tagesschau' reaching 4.51 million (22.3%). RTL's 'RTL Aktuell' special drew 1.53 million viewers. ZDF's regular programming, including a 'Toten vom Bodensee' movie, achieved the highest overall reach with 5.35 million viewers. The data, provided by AGF Videoforschung, highlights the public's continued interest in the election's political implications, though the article focuses on viewership metrics rather than political analysis.
ZDF leads prime time, RTL scores with Europa League, Disney+ tops with 'City of Blood'
The Media analysis 'Video Daily' reports on German TV ratings and streaming charts. In prime time, ZDF's 'XY gelöst' led with 3.42 and 3.68 million viewers (16.6% and 18.1% market share), followed by ARD's film 'Wäldern' (2.23 million, 10.9%). RTL secured strong ratings for Bayer Leverkusen's Europa League match (2.17 million, 10.8%), though viewership dropped in the second half. Vox's 'Inside Ferrero' achieved good young audience shares. In streaming, Disney+'s German dystopian series 'City of Blood' debuted at #1 in German charts. Prime Video's 'Neagley' entered at #2, and Netflix's Polish series 'Die Puppe' appeared at #6. The NDR magazine 'Zapp' ranked #3 on YouTube with a report on Russia.
Breaking-news boosts Tagesschau & Brennpunkt TV ratings
MEEDIA's "Video Daily" reports that Germany's 20:00 Tagesschau and the subsequent Brennpunkt special about the CSD attack each drew more than 6 million viewers on Sunday, with market shares near 30 percent. Public broadcasters (ARD/Das Erste and ZDF) dominated linear-TV ratings across the weekend, while private channels had a few million-viewer shows but trailed in audience share. MEEDIA also publishes updated streaming charts: Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ each have new chart leaders (e.g., Netflix's "Kaulitz & Kaulitz" returned to #1; Netflix film "72 Hours" debuted at #1 among films). YouTube's most-viewed German-language video over the weekend was Sport1's coverage of Jürgen Klopp's presentation as new national coach. Data sources cited include AGF Videoforschung and the streaming services' official charts.
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