Observed Signal · Jul 22, 2026 · Programming / Schedule Update · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
In aller Freundschaft returns September 1 on ARD
The long-running ARD hospital drama In aller Freundschaft will resume its broadcast run on September 1, 2026 with episode 1145 after an unusually long summer break that followed the last new episode on June 16. The new episode will be available in the ARD Mediathek one week before the linear airing; ARD is airing repeats on Tuesday evenings in the meantime. A recent repeat averaged 2.12 million viewers (11.6% market share), while first-run episodes in 2026 have averaged about 3.25 million viewers and over 15% market share (preliminary). Separately, ARD confirmed it will again air the Goldene Henne gala in the main schedule on September 4, 2026 at 20:15; the 2025 broadcast averaged 3.01 million viewers (15.4%) and was hosted by Florian Silbereisen and Kai Pflaume.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Last new episode of In aller Freundschaft aired on June 16, 2026; the series returns September 1, 2026 with episode 1145 on Das Erste (ARD).
- ARD will make the new episode available in the ARD Mediathek one week before linear broadcast.
- A recent repeat averaged 2.12 million viewers and an 11.6% market share.
- First-run episodes in 2026 have averaged about 3.25 million viewers and over 15% market share (preliminary weighting).
- ARD will broadcast the Goldene Henne on September 4, 2026 at 20:15; the 2025 broadcast averaged 3.01 million viewers and a 15.4% market share, hosted by Florian Silbereisen and Kai Pflaume.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mapped“Fans must wait until 1 September before it continues with episode 1145 on Das Erste; meanwhile ARD is filling the slot with repeats on Tuesd...”
“Article published on DWDL.de and footer states: © DWDL.de GmbH, 2001-2026....”
“Photo credit: © MDR / Saxonia Media / Rudolf Wernicke (image credit for In aller Freundschaft)....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
New 'In aller Freundschaft' Episode Lifts German TV Ratings
After weeks of repeats, the German hospital series 'In aller Freundschaft' returned with a new episode on Das Erste, drawing 3.30 million viewers and a 16.0 percent market share. The repeat of 'Die Kanzlei' also performed strongly, reaching 3.63 million viewers and 17.7 percent. ZDF could not match overall but succeeded with younger audiences: its 'Besseresser' double bill achieved 9.4 and 14.4 percent market share among 14- to 49-year-olds, with the second episode watched by 530,000 viewers in that age group, even against the DFB-Pokal match on RTL. Later, ZDF's 'heute journal' grew to 3.43 million viewers and a 15.8 percent share. All figures are preliminary weighted data from AGF SCOPE 1.15.
ARD announces summer breaks for shows and talks
ARD's main channel Das Erste will put several programs on extended summer breaks in 2026. Telenovelas Sturm der Liebe and Rote Rosen air their last pre-summer episodes on 12 June and return on 24 August, creating a ten-week hiatus; Elefant, Tiger & Co. also pauses from that date. The broadcaster will fill those daytime slots with older films and remains ready to react to breaking events. Sports coverage continues: Das Erste will air the Tour de France from 4–26 July (also on Eurosport), which partly overlaps the FIFA World Cup; from 2027 Das Erste will share Tour stage broadcasts with ZDF. Several political talk shows take shorter breaks: Caren Miosga (last show 7 June, return 23 August), hart aber fair (last 1 June, return later; Louis Klamroth returns in September), and Sandra Maischberger (last 10 June, return 11 August).
Declining 'Die Notärztin' Ratings; Prime Video Viewers Unknown
DWDL reports that linear-TV ratings for Tuesday, April 28, 2026, show a continuing decline for the ARD drama "Die Notärztin," which recorded an overnight low of 2.70 million viewers and has fallen below 3 million in recent weeks. AGF SCOPE data (preliminarily weighted) places the show's market share at 12.9% overall and 9.9% among 14–49-year-olds (≈360,000 viewers). ARD series led the linear-TV rankings overall; "In aller Freundschaft" reached 3.13 million viewers (15.8% share). The article notes that Prime Video’s live Champions League broadcast of Bayern Munich vs. Paris St. Germain (PSG won 5:4) likely drew substantial audiences, but those streaming figures are not included in the AGF ratings, leaving the total TV+stream reach unclear. Sport1’s post-match "Fantalk" had 180,000 viewers (1.0%).
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