Observed Signal · Aug 1, 2026 · Audience Measurement Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
ZDF Crime Repeats Beat ARD Premiere; 'heute-show' Quiz Lags
DWDL reports German TV audience figures for July 31, 2026: ZDF led primetime driven by crime repeat broadcasts while Das Erste premiered the film 'Servus Eddie - Spätes Glück'. Das Erste's film reached 2.93 million viewers (16.8% market share overall; 4.9% among 14–49). ZDF's repeat of 'Die Chefin' drew 3.9 million viewers (22.6%). The 60-minute 'heute-show extra - Das Quiz' attracted 1.25 million viewers (10.2% overall) but performed better with 14–49s (11.5%). Late-evening entertainment 'Song Trip' with Yvonne Catterfeld had weak reach (330,000; 3.9%). Top channel market shares that day were ZDF 15.9%, Das Erste 11.1%, RTL 7.5%, Sat.1 5.3% and VOX 3.9%. Data source: AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE).
Daily TV audience metrics showing program- and channel-level reach and demographic splits; useful for media planners and broadcasters but not an industry-shifting development.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- ZDF repeat of 'Die Chefin' reached 3.90 million viewers and a 22.6% market share (all viewers).
- Das Erste premiered the film 'Servus Eddie - Spätes Glück' with 2.93 million viewers and a 16.8% market share (all viewers); 4.9% among 14–49.
- 'heute-show extra - Das Quiz' (60 minutes) had 1.25 million viewers and a 10.2% market share (all viewers); 11.5% among 14–49.
- 'SOKO Leipzig' had 3.42 million viewers and a 19.6% market share (all viewers).
- Top five channel market shares (31.07.2026): ZDF 15.9%, Das Erste 11.1%, RTL 7.5%, Sat.1 5.3%, VOX 3.9%.
Connected Companies & Entities
9 Entities mapped“In primetime the leader was not Das Erste but ZDF, even though only crime repeats aired there....”
“Das Erste showed the film premiere 'Servus Eddie - Spätes Glück' on Friday evening....”
“© DWDL.de GmbH, 2001-2026....”
“Source of the data for this article: AGF Videoforschung....”
“Top five channel market shares (all viewers) included Sat.1 at 5.3%....”
“Top five channel market shares (all viewers) included VOX at 3.9%....”
“Top five channel market shares (all viewers) included RTL at 7.5%....”
“Top five channel market shares (all viewers) included RTL at 7.5%....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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ZDF Strong with Crime Dramas and ZDF Magazin Replay
DWDL reports that ZDF was the second-most-watched broadcaster on Friday (daily market share 14.0%), performing well against FIFA World Cup coverage thanks to crime-series programming and a repeat of ZDF Magazin Royale. AGF Videoforschung data show an old episode of Der Alte reached 3.93 million viewers (21.3% market share), while two SOKO Leipzig episodes drew 2.21 million (11.1%) and 1.99 million (11.0%). A replay of ZDF Magazin Royale after 23:15 had 700,000 viewers (6.4% overall) but performed better in the 14–49 demo (7.4%, ~190,000 viewers), giving ZDF the highest reach among broadcasters except Das Erste after 20:15 in that age group. Commercial broadcasters mainly aired repeats with weaker ratings; RTL’s Die ultimative Chartshow and Vox’s Goodbye Deutschland reached 4.6% and 4.5% in the core demo, while ProSieben’s Free-TV premiere Transformers One scored 1.7%. Data source: AGF SCOPE (preliminary, weighted).
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.
Old ARD Crime Drama Beats DFB-Pokal Ratings
Germany's primetime ratings featured two contrasting evenings. On Friday, 21 August 2026, Das Erste's repeat of 'Der Zürich-Krimi' won with 3.96 million viewers and a 20.9% share, beating ZDF's DFB-Pokal broadcast (2.64 million, 14.5%). The Tagesschau was the night's top program at 4.77 million (26.4%), and Das Erste led the daily market share with 12.8%. On a Tuesday, ZDF's 'Friesland' rerun edged out Das Erste's DFB-Pokal match (Osnabrück vs. Bayern) with 4.66 million (22.2%) to 4.40 million (22.0%), but the football dominated 14- to 49-year-olds with a 27.2% share versus 4.3% for 'Friesland'. ARD's 'Die Derbys' drew just 810,000 viewers, and ZDF's 'Die Lebensretter von Murnau' set a series low of 1.52 million. All data from AGF Videoforschung.
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