Observed Signal · Sep 24, 2026 · Earnings Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Negative
RTL's Salesch Prime-Time Ratings Fall Sharply
RTL's second prime-time airing of 'Barbara Salesch - Freier Fall in den Tod' attracted only 1.37 million viewers, a drop of nearly 800,000 from its June 2025 premiere. Market share in the 14-49 demographic fell to 7.1%, and 7.2% among 14-59 year-olds, down from double-digit figures previously. The program lost to competitors, including ZDF's 'Der Quiz-Champion' with 2.53 million viewers and Das Erste's film 'Eine Nacht in Bangkok' with 4.43 million. Ratings data from AGF Videoforschung indicates a significant loss of audience interest for the format.
TP ratings news relevant to German TV market but not directly impacting adtech/martech.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- RTL aired 'Barbara Salesch - Freier Fall in den Tod' in prime time on 23.09.2026.
- The program drew 1.37 million viewers, down from over 2 million in June 2025.
- Market share was 7.1% among 14-49 year-olds and 7.2% among 14-59 year-olds.
- ZDF's 'Der Quiz-Champion' reached 2.53 million viewers.
- Das Erste's film 'Eine Nacht in Bangkok' was the most-watched with 4.43 million viewers.
Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mapped“RTL hat seine TV-Richterin Barbara Salesch an diesem Mittwoch zum zweiten Mal in einen Primetime-Einsatz geschickt....”
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RTL's 'Die Bachelors' Suffers Disastrous Ratings
MEEDIA's Video Daily reports linear-TV audience figures for Wednesday, 8 July 2026: ZDF's crime magazine 'Aktenzeichen XY… Vermisst' won prime time with 3.65 million viewers (18.9%), while the 20:00 Tagesschau led the day with 5.02 million (27.5%). Among private channels, Sat.1's 'Das große Backen - Die Profis' performed strongly (1.18 million, 6.7%). RTL's reality show 'Die Bachelors' performed poorly, falling well below RTL's 12‑month average: the show attracted about 0.58 million total viewers (3.1% share) and only 0.15 million viewers in the 14–49 demo (5.3% vs. RTL’s 12-month average of 9.3%). Streaming note: 'Glennkill - Ein Schafskrimi' jumped into Prime Video’s top ten at #1. The piece includes detailed market-share and demographic breakdowns relevant for broadcasters and advertisers.
Wetzel Can't Repeat Salesch's Primetime Success
DWDL reports that RTL's primetime broadcast featuring judge Ulrich Wetzel on 12 May 2026 drew 1.51 million viewers and a 7.2% market share overall, falling well short of Barbara Salesch's primetime performance from the previous year (over two million viewers and >11% market share). In the key 14–49 demographic Wetzel reached 5.0% (6.6% for 14–59). ProSieben saw mixed results: 'TV Total' opened strongly (12.2% among 14–49; 1.04 million viewers), but follow-ups underperformed — 'Experte für alles' had 5.1% (14–49) and the new format 'The Hunt' premiered with 3.8% and then 0.9% (14–49), with reach dropping from ~140,000 to ~40,000. Sat.1’s 'The Hunting Party' averaged ~830,000 viewers with 4.2–4.7% (14–49). Data source: AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE).
RTL's 'Gladiators' Flops, Kerner Outperforms ProSieben
The German TV ratings for Saturday, September 5, 2026, show disappointing performances for entertainment shows on RTL and ProSieben. RTL's revival of 'Gladiators' averaged only 470,000 viewers (2.6% market share), a severe flop. ProSieben's 'Schlag den Star' hit a record low overall reach of 600,000 viewers but managed a 10.2% share among 14-49 year-olds. Meanwhile, ZDF's 'Der Quiz-Champion' with Johannes B. Kerner led the young audience with 11.1% and achieved 2.82 million total viewers. The primetime winner was ARD's crime drama 'Harter Brocken: Die Versuchung' with 4.63 million viewers and a 24.0% market share. The data comes from AGF Videoforschung, indicating a general difficulty for commercial broadcasters to attract audiences to traditional linear shows.
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