Observed Signal · Aug 21, 2026 · Ratings Update · Source: DWDL · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
'Merz gegen Merz' ratings improve, trail 'Amsterdam Krimi'
The ZDF comedy series 'Merz gegen Merz' recovered from a May low, averaging 2.34 million viewers and a 12.1% overall market share for its latest broadcast. A repeat of the 'Amsterdam-Krimi' on Das Erste led the evening with 3.94 million viewers and a 20.4% market share; the 'Tagesschau' earlier drew 4.87 million. In the 14–49 demo the crime repeat scored 7.2% versus 6.5% for 'Merz gegen Merz'. ZDF's 'heute-journal' later reached exactly three million viewers (16.6%), and subsequent ZDF talk shows (the new political talk hosted by Sarah Tacke and 'Markus Lanz') posted lower audiences around 1.33 million and 1.08 million respectively. Data source cited: AGF SCOPE 1.15 / AGF Videoforschung.
Routine TV audience figures for specific programs; relevant to TV schedulers and TV ad buyers but not industry-shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- 'Merz gegen Merz' (ZDF) averaged 2.34 million viewers and a 12.1% overall market share.
- The repeat of 'Der Amsterdam-Krimi' on Das Erste had 3.94 million viewers and a 20.4% market share.
- 'Tagesschau' was watched by 4.87 million viewers earlier in the evening.
- 'heute-journal' (ZDF) had exactly 3.00 million viewers and a 16.6% market share.
- In the 14–49 age group the 'Amsterdam-Krimi' scored 7.2% market share, 'Merz gegen Merz' 6.5%.
Connected Companies & Entities
4 Entities mapped“The ZDF series 'Merz gegen Merz' recovered from its May ratings low and averaged 2.34 million viewers in the latest broadcast....”
“The repeat of the 'Amsterdam-Krimi' on Das Erste led the evening with 3.94 million viewers and a 20.4% market share....”
“The article cites AGF SCOPE 1.15 / AGF Videoforschung as the source for all audience and market-share data....”
“The article is published by DWDL.de GmbH (© DWDL.de GmbH 2001-2026)....”
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New ZDF Film Loses to ARD 'Zürich-Krimi' in Ratings
A new ZDF TV film in the 'Merz gegen Merz' series, titled "Geständnisse," underperformed in linear broadcast on Thursday, drawing an average of 1.91 million viewers — about 600,000 fewer than the previous film in autumn 2024. The film achieved a 9.5% market share overall and 5.1% among 14–49-year-olds. A repeat of "Der Zürich-Krimi" on Das Erste won the evening with 4.17 million viewers and a 20.8% share (5.3% in 14–49). Late-evening public-broadcaster programming also performed well with 'Extra 3' and 'Markus Lanz' posting notable shares among younger demographics. Audience figures are sourced to AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE); DWDL notes streaming/streaming-view data for the ZDF title were not available at time of reporting.
RTL Merz Talk Ratings Rise with Delayed Viewing
The RTL talk show "Am Tisch mit Friedrich Merz" saw its audience increase after the final weighting of TV ratings, rising by 200,000 viewers to 1.09 million. This was likely driven by headlines following a pediatrician's criticism of the Chancellor. Among young viewers (14-49), the market share rose by 4.4 percentage points to 15.4%. The ZDF's "heute-show spezial" also benefited, adding 450,000 viewers to reach 2.51 million and achieving a record 24.8% market share in the young demo. Other shows like "Stern TV am Sonntag" and "Villa der Versuchung" also saw gains from time-shifted viewing.
"Praxis mit Meerblick" Gains Strength; ZDF Still Wins
DWDL reports on German TV ratings for the May 1 / early May period: the Das Erste drama series "Praxis mit Meerblick" rose to a season best with 3.64 million viewers (17.4% market share overall; 8.6% among 14–49). ZDF won primetime for all viewers with the crime series "Der Alte" (4.23 million; 20.3% share) and took the day’s 14–49 lead via its satire lineup; "heute-show" fell to 2.95 million viewers (down 270,000 week‑on‑week), the first sub‑3M linear reach since September. Data source is AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung; article by Uwe Mantel published 2026-05-02.
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