Observed Signal · Jun 25, 2026 · Ratings Report · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
ZDF's Traumschiff Beats World Cup; Fernsehgarten Sets Record
ZDF posted strong audience figures on Sunday, holding its own against live World Cup coverage. A repeated airing of Das Traumschiff at 20:15 averaged 3.68 million viewers (17.4% market share), followed by the heute-journal with 3.46 million; a later Traumschiff repeat drew 2.17 million. Day‑long performance was also robust: the ZDF‑Fernsehgarten posted a new season high with 1.99 million viewers, lifting ZDF’s midday market share to 20.5% and scoring 10.7% among 14–49 year‑olds. Overall day market shares were Das Erste 16.1% and ZDF 14.8%. The data source cited is AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE). The article reports additional program-level audience numbers (Waldis Welt, Duell der Gartenprofis, heute news) for June 28, 2026.
Program-level ratings show linear TV can retain significant audiences even against major live events, relevant to broadcasters, advertisers and media buyers for scheduling and ad allocation decisions.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- ZDF recorded a 14.8% day market share on June 28, 2026 (all viewers).
- Das Erste reached a 16.1% day market share on the same day.
- Das Traumschiff (repeat) at 20:15 averaged 3.68 million viewers and a 17.4% market share.
- ZDF‑Fernsehgarten reached 1.99 million viewers, a new season record, with a 20.5% midday market share and 10.7% among 14–49 year‑olds.
- Article cites AGF Videoforschung / AGF SCOPE as the source for audience data.
Connected Companies & Entities
9 Entities mapped“ZDF successfully competed against the Football World Cup on Sunday with 'Das Traumschiff' and posted a 14.8% day market share....”
“Das Erste reached a 16.1% day market share on June 28, 2026....”
“Source for all data in this article, unless otherwise noted: AGF SCOPE 1.9; AGF Videoforschung....”
“The article notes that among 14–49 year‑olds, 'Das Traumschiff' started the evening clearly ahead of ProSieben, RTL & Co....”
“Appears in the site's job listings (ProSiebenSat.1 job ads shown on the page)....”
“Listed among the top five channels by day market share (Sat.1 at 4.1%)....”
“Listed among the top five channels by day market share (VOX at 3.5%)....”
“Listed among the top five channels by day market share (VOX at 3.5%)....”
“The article notes that among 14–49 year‑olds, 'Das Traumschiff' started the evening clearly ahead of ProSieben, RTL & Co....”
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
ZDF posts strong weekstart despite limited World Cup
ZDF delivered a strong start to the week on June 15, 2026, achieving a 15.3% daily market share across all viewers despite broadcasting only one late World Cup match. Daytime performances were particularly strong: 'Bares für Rares' averaged 1.81 million viewers (25.5% share), 'heute - in Europa' reached 2.09 million (27.5%), and 'Die Rosenheim-Cops' 2.20 million (27.2%). In primetime a repeat of the crime drama 'Die Toten vom Bodensee' drew 4.67 million viewers (20.8%). The ZDF talk show 'Markus Lanz' reached 1.38 million viewers (9.0%). ZDFneo also placed ahead of private channels in primetime. Data cited in the article come from AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE, preliminary weighted TV data).
Schlagerbooom, Traumschiff Outperform During World Cup
MEEDIA's "Video Daily" reports German TV ratings and streaming charts for the World Cup weekend. Das Erste led with 7.13 million viewers for the South Africa vs. Canada match, while ZDF's repeat of "Das Traumschiff" drew 3.68 million (17.4% market share) despite competing with the tournament. On Saturday night, "Schlagerbooom Open Air 2026" on Das Erste reached 3.37 million viewers and a 21.1% share. The piece also summarizes streaming charts: Netflix's film "Little Brother" rose to number one in the German film ranking, Prime Video added "Der Medicus II" to its top ten, and Disney+ saw "The Bear - King of the Kitchen" re-enter its series chart. MEEDIA notes YouTube weekend views were dominated by ZDF's "sportstudio fußball" World Cup highlight videos (1.43–1.57 million views). Audience and chart data sources include AGF Videoforschung and MEEDIA's own charting process with Active Value.
ZDF 'Fernsehgarten' Reaches Season High for Andrea Kiewel
ZDF's live Sunday show 'Fernsehgarten' drew 1.82 million viewers on 21 June 2026, a season-best for host Andrea Kiewel, delivering a 20.8% market share overall and 11.1% in the 14–49 demographic. Follow-up ZDF afternoon shows also performed well: 'Waldis Welt' had about 1.3 million viewers and 'Duell der Gartenprofis' 1.36 million, both delivering double-digit overall market shares. Competing morning programming on Das Erste and Sat.1 showed mixed results: 'Immer wieder sonntags' averaged 1.22 million (17.6% share) while Sat.1’s 'Frühstücksfernsehen am Sonntag' averaged 0.27 million (4.3% share). Data source cited is AGF (AGF SCOPE/AGF Videoforschung).
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