Observed Signal · Aug 10, 2026 · Programming Announcement · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Vox's New 'Lions' Debut in Early September
Season 20 (anniversary) of the German founder-investor show Die Höhle der Löwen returns to Vox on 7 September 2026, with eight episodes airing Mondays at 20:15 and released on streaming service RTL+ seven days earlier. The investor panel expands to eight with newcomers Johannes Kliesch (founder of Snocks) and Andreas W. Herb (founder of MBG Group) joining returning investors Dagmar Wöhrl, Janna Ensthaler, Judith Williams, Ralf Dümmel, Carsten Maschmeyer and Frank Thelen. Kliesch built Snocks from €4,000 in start capital to more than €130 million in annual revenue; Herb’s MBG Group, known for brands such as Salitos and Effect Energy Drink, reports about €240 million in annual sales. The format is produced by Endemol Shine Germany.
Broadcast scheduling and panel changes affect linear TV programming and streaming release windows, which can influence audience planning and advertising inventory for the broadcaster and streaming service, but this is not a major industry-wide adtech shift.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Season 20 (anniversary) of Die Höhle der Löwen returns to Vox on 2026-09-07 with eight episodes airing Mondays at 20:15; episodes premiere on RTL+ seven days earlier.
- Investor panel expands to eight with new judges Johannes Kliesch and Andreas W. Herb joining Dagmar Wöhrl, Janna Ensthaler, Judith Williams, Ralf Dümmel, Carsten Maschmeyer and Frank Thelen.
- Johannes Kliesch founded Snocks and grew it from €4,000 start capital to over €130 million in annual revenue.
- Andreas W. Herb founded MBG Group, known for brands such as Salitos and Effect Energy Drink, with around €240 million in annual sales.
- The show is produced by Endemol Shine Germany.
Connected Companies & Entities
7 Entities mapped“As the private broadcaster announced on Monday, 'Die Höhle der Löwen' will return to the schedule on September 7; Vox will again air the for...”
“On the streaming service RTL+ the premiere will take place a week earlier: the new episodes will be released seven days before the linear TV...”
“Johannes Kliesch is managing director of the Snocks Group and built his company from €4,000 start capital to an internationally successful g...”
“© DWDL.de GmbH, 2001-2026 (publisher of the article)....”
“On the streaming service RTL+ the premiere will take place a week earlier: the new episodes will be released seven days before the linear TV...”
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Two new investors join DHDL's 20th anniversary season
Vox investor Dagmar Wöhrl inadvertently revealed two new investors for the 20th season of the German founders' show Die Höhle der Löwen (DHDL). In an Instagram Story she shared behind-the-scenes footage that showed Andreas Herb and Johannes Kliesch; Wöhrl later deleted the Story. The additions were reported by Bild and have since been confirmed by the broadcaster. A Vox/RTL spokesperson said Herb and Kliesch will be part of the jubilee season airing this autumn and that further details about the panel will be announced later. Andreas Herb is identified as founder of the MBG Group (known for beverage brands such as Salitos and Effect); Johannes Kliesch is co-founder of the sock and underwear brand Snocks.
Vox-"Löwen" starten mit Reichweiten-Tief in neue Staffel - DWDL.de
Vox's 'Die Höhle der Löwen' premiered its new season with a record-low 890,000 total viewers, though it achieved a strong 10.7% market share among the 14-49 demographic. The third episode rebounded to 1.23 million viewers (up 50,000 week-over-week) and secured the show's highest young-adult share in a year at 14.2%, attracting 430,000 viewers in that age group. Meanwhile, Sat.1's 'Villa der Versuchung' struggled, drawing only 710,000-740,000 viewers and missing the top 25 in the young demo. On ProSieben, 'Georgie & Mandy' performed moderately (market shares ranging from 7.2% to 9.8% among young viewers), while 'Ted' and 'St. Denis Medical' underperformed. Linear ratings may be partially offset by delayed viewing and streaming on RTL+.
Vox closes season with slight audience gains
Vox stabilized in the 2025/26 season and recorded a small increase in market share after a weaker 2024/25. The channel overtook rival Sat.1 in most months across both target-group definitions. The recovery was driven by stronger performances from legacy formats: Sing meinen Song achieved its highest market shares in the classic target group in nine years and its best absolute reach since 2021, while Die Höhle der Löwen reversed its ratings decline after format tweaks and the return of Frank Thelen. New spin-offs and extensions from Steffen Henssler and Tim Mälzer had mixed results: some launches underperformed and Mälzer’s reduced presence on Kitchen Impossible hurt that show. Sebastian Lege grew his pull with younger viewers and is moving from ZDF to RTL Deutschland. Vox’s October decision to pause new First Dates production nearly put the licensed format at legal risk, demonstrating programming-savings pitfalls.
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