German television ratings show ARD and ZDF dominance

German television ratings for late September 2026 show a diverse performance across major networks. ARD secured the overall daily victory with the crime drama ‘Die Toten am Meer – Tod eines Pastors’, attracting 4.81 million viewers and a 24.4 percent market share.

ZDF performed strongly among younger demographics, with ‘Der Quiz-Champion’ leading the 14–49 age group with a 13.7 percent market share and 3.31 million total viewers. In the private sector, ‘The Voice of Germany’ continues its dual-broadcaster format between Sat.1 and ProSieben. Sat.1 recently achieved a season record with 1.41 million viewers and a 10.9 percent market share in the 14–49 demographic during a Friday broadcast.

ProSieben’s episode of ‘The Voice of Germany’ also maintained a double-digit market share of 10.6 percent among viewers aged 14–49. Other notable programming included Sat.1’s broadcast of ‘The Super Mario Bros. Film’ and RTL’s comedy offerings.