Observed Signal · Aug 13, 2026 · Audience Measurement Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
RTL, ZDF and 3sat Strong in Eclipse Broadcast
Multiple German broadcasters transmitted the solar eclipse on Wednesday, producing above-average TV ratings. ZDF's interruption of programming for the event reached 2.87 million viewers (15.7% share) while its program "Bares für Rares XXL" averaged 3.02 million (16.2%). 3sat's live transmission with Harald Lesch achieved about 1.08 million viewers and a 5.9% share (5.7% in ages 14–49). RTL's joint special with ntv performed especially well with younger viewers: RTL drew 1.98 million viewers on its main channel (460,000 in ages 14–49; 17.1% share) while ntv added roughly 290,000 viewers. The news channel Welt also posted above-normal numbers (≈450,000 viewers; 5.3% among young viewers). Data source cited is AGF SCOPE 1.15 (AGF Videoforschung).
Day-specific TV audience ratings are relevant to broadcasters and TV ad buyers but represent a localized, routine measurement event with limited broader AdTech impact.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- ZDF's eclipse broadcast reached 2.87 million viewers and a 15.7% market share.
- "Bares für Rares XXL" averaged 3.02 million viewers and a 16.2% market share on ZDF.
- 3sat's transmission with Harald Lesch averaged 1.08 million viewers and a 5.9% market share (5.7% in ages 14–49).
- RTL's joint special (with ntv) drew 1.98 million viewers on RTL; RTL had 460,000 viewers in the 14–49 demographic with a 17.1% share, while ntv added ~290,000 viewers and 1.9% in 14–49.
- Welt's ~20-minute eclipse program averaged 450,000 viewers and 5.3% market share among younger viewers.
Connected Companies & Entities
9 Entities mapped“ZDF's broadcast reached 2.87 million viewers and a 15.7% market share....”
“The news channel ntv attracted an additional 290,000 viewers during the joint RTL/ntv transmission and achieved 1.9% in the 14–49 age group....”
“Welt's ~20-minute broadcast averaged 450,000 viewers and 5.3% market share among young viewers....”
“Data source for all figures in this article: AGF SCOPE 1.15 (AGF Videoforschung)....”
“Article published by DWDL.de GmbH (© DWDL.de GmbH, 2001-2026)....”
“Das Erste registered a 15.1% market share in the Top 5 market shares listing for the day....”
“Sat.1 appeared in the Top 5 market shares listing for the day with 5.4%....”
“VOX appeared in the Top 5 market shares listing for the day with 4.2%....”
“A joint broadcast featuring RTL (with ntv) reached 1.98 million viewers on RTL's main channel; RTL had 460,000 viewers in the 14–49 demograp...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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Sat.1 and RTLzwei Celebrate Film Successes
DWDL reports on linear TV audience figures for April 26, 2026: Sat.1 and RTLzwei achieved strong ratings with prime-time feature films, while Vox underperformed among younger viewers. RTLzwei’s broadcast of Die Wolke reached about 570,000 viewers and delivered a 7.4% market share in the 14–49 demo; a later film, Tschernobyl 1986, reached 8.9% in the same demo. Sat.1’s Asterix & Obelix im Reich der Mitte attracted ~900,000 viewers and an 8.0% 14–49 share. Sports and specialist channels also performed well: Sky’s afternoon Bundesliga coverage drew 950,000 viewers (21.2% share) and niche channels ZDFinfo and Kabel Eins Doku posted strong day‑market shares in the 14–49 group. All audience data are credited to AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung (preliminary weighted data).
RTL Football Dominates; ZDFneo Performs Well
DWDL.de reported on TV audience figures for broadcasts on 6 June 2026. RTL's live coverage of the Germany friendly drew the largest audience (nearly nine million viewers) and secured an exceptionally high share among 14–49-year-olds, leaving competing prime-time programmes with substantially smaller audiences. The public broadcasters ZDF and Das Erste posted solid results with a ZDF repeat of "Ein starkes Team" (3.03 million; 14.5%) and Das Erste's repeat of "Im Netz der Gier" (1.92 million; 9.2%). Commercial channels performed variably: Sat.1 had the best 14–49 performance among non-football programmes, ProSieben underperformed in the young demo, and ZDFneo had a strong day in the 14–49 demo (4.0%), boosted by multiple "Star Trek" films (between ~480k–510k viewers and rising 14–49 shares). Data source: AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung.
ZDF to Broadcast Mallorca Total Solar Eclipse
ZDF will provide comprehensive coverage of the total solar eclipse visible from Mallorca on 12 August, centering a live 'Terra X' special hosted by Harald Lesch. The program will stream from 20:00 on ZDF's streaming portal and on YouTube, followed by a YouTube Q&A at 21:00. 3sat will join live at 20:15, and ZDF plans a possible insertion into its main TV schedule between 20:25 and 20:35 — even interrupting 'Bares für Rares' if weather conditions permit. On-site contributors include moderator Jasmina Neudecker, astronaut Alexander Gerst, marine biologist Uli Kunz, and reporter Eric Mayer. ZDF production staff warned about technical challenges requiring high-performance filters and precise timing for camera operations.
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