Observed Signal · Jun 30, 2026 · Measurement Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
RTL Keeps High Fresh Evening Lineup During World Cup
DWDL’s Frische‑Index for June 2026 finds that RTL maintained a comparatively high share of "fresh" evening programming (first broadcasts and Free‑TV premieres between 20:15 and 00:00) despite the FIFA World Cup dominating schedules. RTL recorded a Frische‑Index score of 64 (down 23 percentage points from May) and remained on par with public broadcasters: Das Erste scored 68 and ZDF 63. Many private broadcasters filled evening schedules with repeats during the World Cup, leaving Sat.1 and ProSieben at 28, VOX at 17, kabel eins at 12 and RTLzwei at 11. Data source and market standard cited are AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung; DWDL notes that overnight World Cup first‑run hours fall outside the 20:15–00:00 window used for the index.
Provides audience‑programming measurement for major German broadcasters during a major sporting event; relevant for TV buyers and media planners but not industry‑shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- DWDL’s Frische‑Index measures the share of first broadcasts and Free‑TV premieres in the evening slot (20:15–00:00).
- RTL scored 64 (of 100) in the June 2026 Frische‑Index, down 23 percentage points versus May 2026.
- Das Erste scored 68 and ZDF scored 63 in the June 2026 Frische‑Index.
- Sat.1 and ProSieben each had 28% fresh evening programming; VOX 17%; kabel eins 12%; RTLzwei 11%.
- Data source for the analysis is AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE market standard); article published by DWDL.de on 2026-06-30.
Connected Companies & Entities
10 Entities mapped“er lag aber trotzdem noch bei fast zwei Drittel des Abendprogramms und damit auf dem gleichen Niveau wie beim Ersten und dem ZDF....”
“er lag aber trotzdem noch bei fast zwei Drittel des Abendprogramms und damit auf dem gleichen Niveau wie beim Ersten und dem ZDF....”
“Alle anderen Sender waren weit abgeschlagen, Sat.1 und ProSieben noch mit jeweils 28 Prozent des Abendprogramms......”
“Alle anderen Sender waren weit abgeschlagen, Sat.1 und ProSieben noch mit jeweils 28 Prozent des Abendprogramms......”
“Sat.1 und ProSieben noch mit jeweils 28 Prozent des Abendprogramms, RTLzwei am und Kabel Eins am Ende des Rankings mit kaum mehr als zehn Pr...”
“Sat.1 und ProSieben noch mit jeweils 28 Prozent des Abendprogramms, RTLzwei am und Kabel Eins am Ende des Rankings mit kaum mehr als zehn Pr...”
“Sat.1 und ProSieben noch mit jeweils 28 Prozent des Abendprogramms, RTLzwei am und Kabel Eins am Ende des Rankings mit kaum mehr als zehn Pr...”
“Quelle der Daten für diesen Artikel: AGF Videoforschung...”
“Trotzdem sind die Werte von RTL erstaunlich. Zwar ging auch hier der Frische-Anteil deutlich um 23 Prozentpunkte im Vergleich zum Mai zurück...”
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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ARD, ZDF and RTL Hit Lowest Freshness Since 2020
DWDL's monthly "Frische-Index" shows that in July 2026 the share of evening programming (20:15–24:00) made up of first-run broadcasts and Free-TV premieres fell to multi-year lows across Germany's eight main full-service channels. ZDF recorded 56% fresh programming (down 19 percentage points year-on-year), Das Erste 53% (down 10pp), and RTL 42% (down 15pp). Sat.1 had 31% fresh content while ProSieben, kabel eins, VOX and RTLzwei filled over 80% of their evenings with repeats. DWDL attributes the decline to budget pressure from a shrinking TV advertising market, missed public-broadcaster contribution increases, World Cup scheduling (including exclusive Magenta TV rights) and fewer summer premieres. All eight channels' freshness through the first seven months of 2026 is below the same period in 2025.
Private TV Broadcasters Weak During World Cup Repeats
German private broadcasters posted weak linear-TV audience shares on 12 June 2026 as World Cup coverage dominated viewing. RTL remained strong in early evening — its news show "RTL aktuell" reached 22.9% of 14–49 viewers (20.3% of 14–59) and 2.22 million viewers — and daytime formats like "Exclusiv" and "Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten" also performed well. In primetime, however, repeats across private channels delivered low market shares (examples: RTL's repeat of the "Ultimativen Chartshow" 5.4% in 14–49; Sat.1 and ProSieben repeats between ~2.5–4.2%). Public broadcasters and World Cup programming led the day (Das Erste and ZDF top the market-share chart). Source for audience data: AGF Videoforschung / AGF SCOPE.
ProSieben Narrows Gap to ARD in Freshness Index
DWDL's monthly "Frische-Index" shows ProSieben raised the share of first-run broadcasts and free‑TV premieres in its evening schedule (20:15–00:00) to about 70% by May 2026, an increase of 14 percentage points versus May 2025. The rise was supported by rights to the ice hockey World Championship and by airing reality formats (some produced for streaming service Joyn) in late slots, though some broadcasts underperformed in ratings. RTL remained highest at 87% fresh programming, while Das Erste (ARD) reached 75% and ZDF 79%. Among private channels, kabel eins ranked lowest at 22%. DWDL notes methodological caveats, including how streamed pre-releases are counted and structural differences for public broadcasters.
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