ARD, RTL dissect ratings victories

World Cup, Winter Olympics help in ratings race

By ERIK KIRSCHBAUM

Pubcaster ARD won Germany's rating battle in 2006, ahead of rival ZDF, but commercial web RTL said it had won the more important war by taking first place in the 14-49 demo.

ARD benefited from surging viewer interest in the World Cup soccer tournament and the Winter Olympics, boasting it had an overall 14.3 share in 2006, up 0.8 point from 2005, to widen its lead over arch-rival ZDF. Latter also was up thanks to soccer and the Olympics to 13.6 from 13.5.

According to Germany's GfK market research group, ARD's "third program" webs such as WDR and NDR had a combined 13.5 share, off from 13.6 in 2005. RTL was in fourth, down 0.4 to 12.8, and Sat.1 in fifth lost more than a point, tumbling to 9.8 from 10.9. ProSieben slipped to 6.6 from 6.7.

But the pubcasters again had difficulties with younger auds, despite concerted efforts to improve their numbers. In the target group, RTL was again first at 15.6%, down 0.4 point from 2005 and well below the target of 17 set by RTL managing director Anke Schaeferkordt. ProSieben was steady in second (11.6), Sat.1 third (down to 11.4 from 12.3), ARD fourth (8.6) and ZDF fifth (7.8).

RTL said overall its RTL group, which includes RTL, Vox, RTL2, Super RTL and N-TV, took a combined 31.8 in the 14-49 category, widening its lead over the rival ProSiebenSat 1 group to 2.4 points from 1.9 in 2005.

RTL was able to limit the erosion it suffered in previous World Cup/Olympic years by acquiring the rights to broadcast Sunday soccer matches at this year's monthlong World Cup tournament. It posted superb ratings, even without airing any of host Germany's matches.

RTL's top broadcast of 2006 was 14.63 million viewers for a June 25 World Cup game pitting Portugal against the Netherlands -- a 51.6 share in the 14-49 category.

Despite trailing ARD again, ZDF had something to brag about in 2006: the most watched broadcast of the year -- and biggest ever measured in Germany. On July 4, an average of 29.66 million tuned in for Germany's World Cup semifinal match against Italy, which Italy won 2-0 in overtime. Another 16 million were estimated to have watched the match on giant screens set up across the country, for a total aud of about 46 million (in a nation of 82 million).

All in all, German viewers tuned in for 212 minutes per day in 2006, up one minute from 2005.

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