Observed Signal · May 3, 2026 · Audience Measurement · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Totenfrau S2 Underperforms; ZDF Crime Tops Ratings
The second season of the series "Totenfrau," broadcast in a single Saturday block on Das Erste, performed noticeably worse than its first season, drawing far lower linear TV audiences and market shares. The premiere of season two averaged 1.74 million viewers (9.5% market share) and declined across the evening to a 0.74 million finale, with the 14–49 demographic falling from 7.6% to 1.3% by the end. By contrast, ZDF led the Saturday primetime with the crime film "Ostfriesensturm," averaging 4.69 million viewers and a 24.9% market share. Data cited are preliminary AGF SCOPE TV-reach figures. The article was published by DWDL.de on 2026-05-03 and authored by Uwe Mantel.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- The second season of "Totenfrau" premiered on Das Erste and the first episode averaged 1.74 million viewers with a 9.5% market share.
- The season-two premiere drew 1.5 million fewer viewers than the original season's premiere (as reported).
- Viewership for "Totenfrau" fell across the night: episode 2 — 1.42 million (7.4% market share); episodes 3 and 4 — 1.44 million and 1.26 million; finale — 0.74 million (market share recovered to 9.8% late).
- The 14–49 demographic for "Totenfrau" declined from 7.6% at the start to 1.3% by the finale.
- ZDF's crime film "Ostfriesensturm" won Saturday primetime with an average of 4.69 million viewers and a 24.9% market share; a 22:00 replay of "Der Staatsanwalt" reached 2.75 million viewers.
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Repeat Tatort Dominates Sunday Primetime Ratings
A repeat episode of Tatort ('Man stirbt nur zweimal') led Sunday primetime in Germany despite the long summer pause, drawing 6.36 million viewers on May 10, 2026. The broadcast delivered a 28.3% market share overall, 23.3% among 14–59-year-olds and 19.4% among 14–49-year-olds. ZDF's drama 'Neuer Wind im Alten Land' (season 2) finished with 3.52 million viewers and a 15.6% market share, marking lower linear reach compared with its first season. The report notes a broader trend of declining linear TV reach: the second season's episode audiences (3.44–3.93 million) trailed last year's (4.22–5.17 million). Daytime returns included ZDF-Fernsehgarten with 1.28 million viewers (17.7% market share). Data source cited is AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung; the article was published by DWDL.de on 2026-05-11.
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.
ARD's 'Die Notärztin' Drops Below 3M at Finale
The ARD drama series Die Notärztin closed its second-season run on May 19, 2026, drawing 2.70 million viewers in its 20:15 slot — well below the 3 million mark that earlier episodes reached. The episode delivered a 13.0% overall market share, while the 14–49 demographic posted a season-low 7.6% for the finale. Across the 13 broadcast episodes, the season averaged just above 3 million viewers in overnight figures, with final weighting typically adding roughly 110,000 viewers. Other primetime highlights that evening: a BR repeat Tatort from Münster attracted 1.51 million viewers and helped BR achieve a 7.2% primetime share, while ZDF’s Terra X History on the 2021 Ahrtal flood reached 2.09 million viewers (9.9% share). Data source: AGF (AGF SCOPE/AGF Videoforschung); publisher: DWDL.de.
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