Was it you? Did you choose the second German television as the winner in the annual TV balance sheet for 2021? With a market share of 14.7 percent (plus 1.1), the public broadcaster secured victory on German television – for the tenth time in a row. That is also a record. The ARD third party, who jointly outperformed ZDF last year, lost 0.1 points and landed in second place with 13.6 percent, followed by ARD first with 12.1 percent (plus 0.8). A major reason for the better values of the first and the ZDF was the broadcast of the European football championship in 2021.
[Wenn Sie aktuelle Nachrichten aus Berlin, Deutschland und der Welt live auf Ihr Handy haben wollen, empfehlen wir Ihnen unsere App, die Sie hier für Apple- und Android-Geräte herunterladen können.]
The leading private television channels were all just able to hold their own, even if they all lost their share compared to the previous year. In the meantime, the market shares are spread across more and more special-interest channels, including RTLup and Sat.1 Gold. The so-called main program of RTL was 7.2 percent ahead of Sat.1 (5.2), Vox (4.5), ProSieben (3.7) and Kabel eins (3.2).
“Campfire moments” in the second
According to its own information, ZDF scored particularly well with its programs relating to the general election. “Campfire moments” also shaped the program, with the broadcast of the European Football Championship, the Summer Olympic Games, fictional series and “Wetten, dass ..?” Being outstanding. The revived Saturday evening show with Thomas Gottschalk reached 14.46 million viewers (45.9 percent) on November 6th.
The first scored with the most successful television film of the year. The film with the largest audience on German TV was the Münster “Tatort: Rhythm and Love” (WDR), which was viewed on May 2, 14.371 million (market share 39.6 percent). On June 29, ARD also had by far the most watched program of the year in its program: the European Championship round of 16 England-Germany (2-0) with 27.49 million viewers (market share 76.3 percent).
ZDFneo leads the second division
Among the small channels with a market share of less than three percent, ZDFneo (2.8) landed ahead of RTLzwei (2.5), RTLup (2.0), Nitro and Sat.1 Gold (1.8 each) and ZDFinfo (1.7), 3sat (1.4), SuperRTL and Arte (1.3 each) and ntv (1.1). This is followed by One, Phoenix, Tele5 and Dmax.
RTL defended its top position among the target audience between 14 and 49 years of age, which is particularly important for private television: the Cologne-based private broadcaster is ahead with 10.1 percent. This is followed by ProSieben (8.7), the first (8.1), ZDF (7.6), Sat.1 (7.0), Vox (6.7), the third (5.8), RTLzwei (4.5), Kabel eins (4.2), Nitro (2.1) and ZDFinfo (2.0).
Overall, in the second Corona year in Germany, television was again a little less classic and linear. According to the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Fernsehforschung (AGF), the average viewing time for viewers aged three and over was an average of 213 minutes per day, i.e. three hours and 33 minutes (1.1. To 29.12.). The average viewing time jumped to 220 minutes in 2020 (2019: 210 minutes). Younger people (14 to 49 years old) watched TV an average of 121 minutes a day in 2021, i.e. two hours.
RBB television brings red lantern to the third
The Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) has certainly made an effort and yet the ARD-Anstalt for Berlin and Brandenburg is the third channel in the ARD network with the weakest coverage for 2021. RRB television has a market share of 6.3 percent (as of December 20th), which is a slight minus of 0.1 percentage points. In front of the RBB offer and thus in the penultimate place, the media researchers from various broadcasters see the television of the Hessischer Rundfunk with 6.5 percent, which means an increase of 0.2 percentage points. In 2020, the HR program was still behind the RBB program.
The radiant winner in 2021 is the television of the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR). The market share of 10.3 percent in the transmission area means an increase of 0.3 percentage points. NDR television came in second with 8.1 percent (plus 0.1 percentage points). In terms of coverage throughout Germany, the NDR leads the field.
WDR and SWR also lose
When it comes to the market share in the respective broadcasting area, WDR television has a 7.3 percent market share, the loss of 0.4 percentage points is the highest among all third parties. The SWR program – in fourth place – also fell slightly to 6.8 percent. but is well ahead of Bayerischer Rundfunk television with 7.7 percent (minus 0.2 percentage points). Then the HR and finally the RBB television come last.
