Observed Signal · Jul 6, 2026 · Ratings Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
World Cup Break Boosts German Commercial Broadcasters' Ratings
With no World Cup matches on Free-TV on July 5, 2026 (matches were shown exclusively on MagentaTV), German commercial broadcasters recorded stronger-than-recent audience shares. RTL's primetime film 'Das Vermächtnis des Geheimen Buches' led among 14–49-year-olds with 11.3% (1.47 million viewers, 7.4% overall). ProSieben's 'The Tomorrow War' achieved a 10.2% share in the 14–49 demo and helped ProSieben take a 7.8% day market share (14–49). Sat.1, Kabel Eins, and VOX also posted above‑average results; RTLzwei performed weakly (2.7% among 14–49). Top daily market shares across all viewers were ZDF (13.0%), Das Erste/ARD (12.0%) and RTL (6.7%). Data source: AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE).
A temporary World Cup-free schedule on Free-TV produced higher audience shares for commercial broadcasters — relevant to TV ad inventory, daypart pricing and short-term advertiser demand but not industry‑shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- MagentaTV held exclusive live rights and broadcast Brazil's elimination match and the Mexico–England game on the evening of July 5, 2026.
- RTL's film 'Das Vermächtnis des Geheimen Buches' reached 11.3% market share among 14–49-year-olds, 11.2% among 14–59, 1.47 million viewers and 7.4% overall.
- ProSieben's 'The Tomorrow War' posted a 10.2% share in the 14–49 target group; ProSieben achieved a 7.8% day market share (14–49), narrowly leading day ratings ahead of RTL.
- Sat.1's film 'Wunder' had 8.2% (14–49) with 0.77 million total viewers; Kabel Eins' repeat of 'Trucker Babes' scored 5.4% (14–49) with 580,000 viewers; VOX's 'Hot oder Schrott' reached 7.0% (14–49) with 700,000 viewers.
- RTLzwei underperformed during the WM pause: 'Which brings me to you' achieved 2.7% (14–49) and 1.5% (14–59).
Connected Companies & Entities
10 Entities mapped“ProSieben scheiterte mit "The Tomorrow War" zwar ganz knapp an der Millionen-Marke, kam in der klassischen Zielgruppe aber ebenfalls auf ein...”
“Sat.1 kam mit dem Film "Wunder" auf ebenfalls ordentliche 8,2 Prozent Marktanteil bei den 14- bis 49-Jährigen......”
“Sehr zufrieden sein kann man bei Kabel Eins, wo eine Wiederholung der "Trucker Babes" mit 5,4 Prozent Marktanteil in der klassischen Zielgru...”
“Vox fuhr mit "Hot oder Schrott" ebenfalls gut und erreichte 7,0 Prozent Marktanteil in der klassischen und 6,0 Prozent in der erweiterten Zi...”
“Nur RTLzwei tat sich trotz WM-Pause richtig schwer und kam mit "Which brings me to you" nicht über 2,7 Prozent Marktanteil bei den 14- bis 4...”
“Top 5 Marktanteile (alle Zuschauer) 13,0 % (ZDF shown in the summary chart of the article)....”
“Top 5 Marktanteile (alle Zuschauer) 12,0 % (Das Erste / ARD shown in the summary chart of the article)....”
“Quelle für alle Daten in diesem Artikel, sofern nicht anders vermerkt: AGF SCOPE 1.9; Marktstandard: Bewegtbild; vorläufig gewichtete Daten;...”
“Die beim jungen Publikum gefragteste Primetime-Sendung diesmal bei RTL. Der Film "Das Vermächtnis des Geheimen Buches" holte starke 11,3 Pro...”
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
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.
RTL and ProSieben Win Prime-Time in World Cup Pause
MEEDIA's 'Video Daily' reports German TV ratings and streaming chart movements during a weekend affected by World Cup broadcasts. On Sunday without free-to-air World Cup matches, Das Erste's 'Polizeiruf 110' reached 4.40 million viewers (21.0%) and the 20:00 'Tagesschau' led the day with 5.42 million (26.2%). Public broadcasters ZDF and Das Erste posted strong weekend numbers while private channels RTL and ProSieben competed narrowly in the 14–49 demo (RTL 0.40m vs ProSieben 0.36m). MagentaTV held exclusive World Cup matches but no audience figures were available. Streaming charts shifted: Netflix added 'Fast & Furious 9' and '22 Bahnen' to its German film Top 10; Prime Video premiered 'Project Hail Mary' for Prime customers and hit #1; Disney+ and YouTube also recorded new entries and multi-million-view match highlights respectively.
World Cup Dominates; Crime Drama Holds Friday TV
DWDL's AGF SCOPE-based reports for July 3 and July 14, 2026 show World Cup coverage continuing to dominate German TV, with ZDF especially strong overall and among 14–49-year-olds (over 43% market share on July 3) and the Spain vs France semifinal drawing about 12.69 million viewers. Public broadcaster Das Erste's crime programming proved the strongest non-sports alternative: a July 3 repeat of Nord bei Nordwest attracted 3.24 million viewers (17.2% market share), while on July 14 Harter Brocken: Der Waffendeal reached 2.40 million viewers (10.8%) including 190,000 aged 14–49 (4.3%). Commercial channels including ProSieben, RTL, Sat.1 and VOX recorded markedly lower prime-time shares; smaller channels such as DMAX placed two titles in the 14–49 top 25. Figures from AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE).
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