Observed Signal · Aug 20, 2026 · Ratings Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
ZDF’s 'Aktenzeichen XY' Tops 20% Among Young Viewers
On 19 August 2026 ZDF's crime program "Aktenzeichen XY... Ungelöst" delivered strong linear-TV performance: 3.97 million viewers (19.8% market share overall) and particularly high reach among younger viewers — 670,000 in the 14–49 demo for a 20.6% share. Das Erste's 20:15 drama "Bis zur Wahrheit" (a repeat) reached 2.94 million viewers (14.7% overall, 4.6% in 14–49). ZDF also won the full evening in the 14–59 demo (18.3% after 20:15) and ended the day with a 16.1% total market share (9.0% in 14–49, behind RTL's 9.8%). Data source for the audience figures is AGF SCOPE 1.15 (preliminary weighted data).
Shows strong linear-TV performance and high youth reach for a legacy broadcast program, relevant to advertisers and media buyers considering TV inventory and audience targeting; based on official AGF measurement.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- ZDF's "Aktenzeichen XY... Ungelöst" reached 3.97 million viewers and a 19.8% market share (all viewers) on 19 August 2026.
- Among 14–49-year-olds the program had 670,000 viewers and a 20.6% market share; among 14–59 it reached 18.3%.
- Das Erste's 20:15 repeat of "Bis zur Wahrheit" had 2.94 million viewers and a 14.7% market share (4.6% in 14–49).
- ZDF's overall daily market share (all viewers) was 16.1%; in the 14–49 demo ZDF finished second with 9.0% behind RTL (9.8%).
- Source for the audience data: AGF SCOPE 1.15 (AGF Videoforschung); preliminary weighted data.
Connected Companies & Entities
6 Entities mapped“ZDF celebrated a triple primetime victory on Wednesday with "Aktenzeichen XY"; Rudi Cerne was unbeatable even in the younger age groups....”
“At 20:15 Das Erste was noticeably weaker than ZDF: the drama "Bis zur Wahrheit" (a repeat) was seen by 2.94 million people....”
“Source for all data in this article, unless otherwise noted: AGF SCOPE 1.15; market standard: moving image; preliminary weighted data....”
“URL to this article: https://www.dwdl.de/... © DWDL.de GmbH, 2001-2026....”
“At the end ZDF finished the day with a day market share (14-49) of 9.0% in second place behind RTL (9.8%)....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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ZDF's 'XY gelöst' Leads Wednesday Primetime Ratings
On Wednesday evening, the ZDF true-crime series 'XY gelöst' attracted over 3 million viewers, making it the strongest primetime format in German television. The first episode drew 3.42 million viewers (16.6% market share), and the second improved to 3.68 million (18.1%). Among viewers aged 14-49, the show achieved 10.1% and 11.9% market shares, ranking behind only RTL's Europa League coverage and ahead of ProSieben's 'The Masked Singer' and Sat.1's 'Das große Backen'. Das Erste's film 'Wäldern - Das Böse in den Spiegeln' attracted 2.23 million viewers (10.9% share), down from the previous week. Overall, ZDF led the daily market share with 15.4%, followed by Das Erste with 10.0%, while RTL topped the young demographics with 11.2%.
ZDF's 'XY' Tops Ratings; Vorabend Spinoff Underperforms
A DWDL.de ratings report for June 3–4, 2026 shows ZDF's Aktenzeichen XY... ungelöst led German linear TV audiences, drawing 4.09 million viewers and a 20.4% market share in total viewers. The ZDF evening spinoff XY - Spuren des Verbrechens performed weakly with 1.67 million viewers (9.9% market share) and only 4.9% among 14–49-year-olds. Earlier SOKO Wismar (18:05) reached 2.92 million viewers. ZDFneo’s linear broadcasts of Push season 2 registered very low linear reach (episode 4: 0.25 million; episode 6: 0.1 million), though the series was primarily produced for streaming. Source: AGF Videoforschung / AGF SCOPE (preliminary weighted data).
Aktenzeichen XY Wins Primetime; Evening Spinoff Starts Strong
The ZDF crime magazine Aktenzeichen XY... Ungelöst won Wednesday primetime despite a notable audience drop: 3.80 million viewers watched the latest episode (590,000 in 14–49), yielding a 18.7% market share overall and 15.5% in 14–49. The episode represented the lowest total reach for the format since May of the previous year, influenced by a delayed 20-minute start and competition from a DAZN Champions League semi-final. A new early-evening spinoff, XY Spuren des Verbrechens, premiered promisingly with 2.49 million viewers and a 12.4% market share. ZDF also posted strong afternoon figures (14:00–17:15) and saw mixed results on ZDFneo where Wilsberg drew 1.27 million (6.1%) but the follow-up series My Ex with Palina Rojinski fell to 270,000 and 130,000 viewers (1.5% and 0.9%). Data source: AGF SCOPE / AGF Videoforschung.
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