Observed Signal · Aug 5, 2026 · Ratings Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Old RTL Crime Repeat Nears Two Million Viewers
A repeat of RTL's crime show "Behringer und die Toten" drew 1.90 million viewers on August 4, 2026, giving RTL a 10.9% primetime market share and placing it ahead of ZDF in total reach. The episode performed less strongly in younger demos (7.7% for ages 14–59; 4.9% for 14–49). ZDF's primetime offerings underperformed in total reach ("Besseresser Challenge" ~1.0 million; 5.7% share), but a later ZDF "Frontal" documentary on the Deutsche Bahn lifted younger-audience numbers (1.62 million total, 9.1% overall; 390,000 viewers 14–49, 14.8% in that demo). The evening's highest single reach was ARD's "Die Kanzlei" (2.74 million) while ZDF's "heute journal" reached 2.48 million. Data source: AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung.
Daily linear-TV audience and market-share figures matter for broadcasters, advertisers and media planning but are routine and not industry-shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- RTL repeat "Behringer und die Toten" had 1.90 million viewers and a 10.9% primetime market share.
- The repeat achieved 7.7% market share among 14–59-year-olds and 4.9% in the 14–49 demo.
- ZDF's "Besseresser Challenge" reached about 1.0 million viewers with a 5.7% market share.
- "Frontal: Das Deutsche-Bahn-Desaster" on ZDF drew 1.62 million viewers (9.1% overall) and 390,000 viewers aged 14–49 (14.8% in that demo).
- Highest reaches of the evening included ARD's "Die Kanzlei" (2.74 million) and ZDF's "heute journal" (2.48 million, 14.7% share).
Connected Companies & Entities
8 Entities mapped“Damit war RTL nicht nur der meistgesehene Privatsender in der Primetime, die Kölner lagen auch vor dem ZDF und erzielten 10,9 Prozent Markta...”
“Die höchste Reichweite des Abends erzielte im ZDF jedoch das "heute journal"...Das Nachrichtenmagazin lag damit in etwa auf Augenhöhe mit de...”
“Top 5 Marktanteile (alle Zuschauer) ... 4,9 % [RTL] 4,9 % [Sat.1] 4,2 % [VOX]...”
“Top 5 Marktanteile (alle Zuschauer) ... 4,9 % [RTL] 4,9 % [Sat.1] 4,2 % [VOX]...”
“© RTL/ Redseven Entertainment/ Hendrik Heiden...”
“Quelle der Daten für diesen Artikel: AGF Videoforschung...”
“© DWDL.de GmbH, 2001-2026...”
“Schon seit einigen Wochen setzt RTL auf dem Sendeplatz am Dienstagabend um 20:15 Uhr auf Krimi-Wiederholungen, der Re-Run von "Behringer und...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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ZDF Strong with Crime Dramas and ZDF Magazin Replay
DWDL reports that ZDF was the second-most-watched broadcaster on Friday (daily market share 14.0%), performing well against FIFA World Cup coverage thanks to crime-series programming and a repeat of ZDF Magazin Royale. AGF Videoforschung data show an old episode of Der Alte reached 3.93 million viewers (21.3% market share), while two SOKO Leipzig episodes drew 2.21 million (11.1%) and 1.99 million (11.0%). A replay of ZDF Magazin Royale after 23:15 had 700,000 viewers (6.4% overall) but performed better in the 14–49 demo (7.4%, ~190,000 viewers), giving ZDF the highest reach among broadcasters except Das Erste after 20:15 in that age group. Commercial broadcasters mainly aired repeats with weaker ratings; RTL’s Die ultimative Chartshow and Vox’s Goodbye Deutschland reached 4.6% and 4.5% in the core demo, while ProSieben’s Free-TV premiere Transformers One scored 1.7%. Data source: AGF SCOPE (preliminary, weighted).
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.
WDR and ZDFneo Exploit Crime-Drama Gap in Primetime
On 19 August 2026 DWDL reported that regional German channels WDR and ZDFneo achieved high primetime reach by broadcasting crime dramas while the main public channels offered different formats. WDR's repeat Münster 'Tatort' drew 1.57 million viewers (7.7% market share; 11.5% in the WDR region). ZDFneo's 'Helen Dorn' reached 1.35 million (6.6%). Das Erste remained overall strongest at 20:15 with a repeat of 'Die Kanzlei' (2.89 million; 14.0%). The article cites AGF SCOPE 1.15 as the data source and lists other audience figures across ARD and ZDF programming for 18 August 2026.
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