German footballers missed the final of the European Championship, but they firmly established themselves as the number ones in television ratings. This year’s hearing landscape is very different compared to previous years.
German footballers have once again captured the hearts of the viewing nation. After a two-year break, the national team has regained public favor and found itself at the top of the ratings, achieving this feat with five matches.
The most watched television broadcast of the year was the semi-final outing at the European Championship against Spain, where an average of 27.154 million viewers followed the live broadcast on ARD on July 5. The market share reached an impressive 80.9 percent. Previously, in 2022 and 2023, the German women’s football team had reigned as TV queens with the highest ratings of the year, while in this year they failed to even enter into the top 50.
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“The European Championship at home was very dominant, the tournament brought a lot of joy to the people,” commented ARD sports coordinator Axel Balkausky about the year’s TV ratings. This was clearly not only true for the German team’s matches, the five live broadcasts attracted more than 24 million viewers.
More than 20 matches without German involvement have exceeded the ten million mark. The final between Spain and England was even watched by 22.498 million people on ARD. “It was an impressive testament to the enormous power that soccer unleashes during tournaments,” Balkausky said. Even the Champions League final couldn’t compete, coming in 13th place, with 12.699 million viewers watching Borussia Dortmund lose to Real Madrid.
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After football, handball emerged as the second most popular sport, just like the previous year. Five matches of the German team are among the 50 most successful sports broadcasts of the year, including the match against Denmark, which attracted 9.886 million viewers, placing it in 29th place. The Olympics were also a significant drawcard, with the opening ceremony in Paris achieving the highest ratings of the broadcasts, attracting 10.441 million viewers and ranking 26th in the ratings.
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“The second major sporting event of this intense sporting year captivated audiences of all ages and proved to be a public success,” said ZDF sports head Yorck Polus. “The Paris Games clearly demonstrated that the concept of the Olympics endures and that sporting diversity is attractive. »
Athletics was the most successful Olympic sport, attracting 8.116 million television viewers for the highest audience rating. Particularly pleasing for both public channels is that their extensive coverage has consistently reached millions of viewers.
ARD and ZDF broadcast 243 hours of live coverage from Paris on traditional television only. According to their own statements, they achieved an average reach of 3.62 million viewers across the entire broadcast, with a market share of 30.9 percent.
“The Olympic Games were exceptional thanks to the same time zone,” enthused ARD sports manager Balkausky. “Sport continues to have a great unifying force. Young people are tuning in, and interest in major events crosses generations. » (dpa)
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