Observed Signal · May 13, 2026 · Audience Measurement / Ratings Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
ZDF's "Olivia" Tops Primetime Across Age Groups
ZDF's biopic "Olivia" delivered strong linear TV performance in primetime on May 13, 2026, attracting 3.59 million viewers and a 17.4% market share across all viewers, making ZDF the most-watched broadcaster after 20:15. The film also performed well with younger audiences: it recorded a 10.9% market share among 14–49-year-olds and reached 1.11 million viewers (15.0% share) among 14–59-year-olds, placing it ahead of competing programs. The broadcast was the film's TV premiere after being available online for several days. Competing offerings performed notably lower: RTL's repeat of "Barbie" drew about 580,000 viewers (5.9% among 14–49), while Das Erste's repeat "Wer ohne Schuld ist" reached 2.57 million viewers (12.5% overall). Audience figures are cited from AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE).
Routine audience measurement showing a broadcaster program's strong linear performance; relevant to media planning but not industry-shifting for AdTech/MarTech.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- ZDF's biopic "Olivia" reached 3.59 million linear viewers on its TV premiere.
- "Olivia" achieved a 17.4% market share among all viewers in primetime (after 20:15).
- The film recorded a 10.9% market share among 14–49-year-olds and 1.11 million viewers (15.0% share) among 14–59-year-olds.
- RTL's repeat of "Barbie" had ~580,000 viewers and a 5.9% share among 14–49-year-olds; Das Erste's repeat "Wer ohne Schuld ist" had 2.57 million viewers and 12.5% overall share.
- Audience data source: AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE; preliminary weighted data).
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Time‑shifted Viewing Boosts ZDF Biopic 'Olivia' Ratings
DWDL reports that final, seven‑day weighted TV ratings (AGF SCOPE) show notable post‑broadcast gains for several German programmes. ZDF’s biopic Olivia rose from 3.59m to 3.99m viewers after three days of time‑shifted linear playback, reaching an 18.5% market share and 13.5% in ages 14–49. The heute‑show and ZDF Magazin Royale also added large audiences (heute‑show +870k to 4.00m; ZDF Magazin Royale +400k to 1.74m). The Eurovision Song Contest final gained further reach via livestream counts now included in the weighted figures (8.46m on Das Erste; 770k on One; combined ~9m, 46.5% share overall, 64% in 14–49). DWDL notes the methodology change: final weighted values incorporate three days of time‑shifted linear use and livestream data under the 'Market Standard: Bewegtbild'.
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).
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).
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