RTL Deutschland Reports Best Third-Quarter Market Shares Since 2020
In the third quarter, RTL Deutschland set several all-time records, pulled far ahead of its commercial competitors and achieved top streaming positions for RTL+; measured by viewer interest, it was the most successful quarter for the broadcasting group in four years. RTL+ can be pleased about the “Raab boost”, among other things.
With several all-time records, a large lead over its private competitors and top streaming positions in several target groups for RTL+, RTL Deutschland is clearly on course for success at the end of the third quarter of 2024. From January 1 to September 30, the broadcasting group achieved an average market share of 26.7 percent in the core target group of 14 to 59-year-olds, putting it 7.0 percentage points ahead of its competitor Pro Sieben Sat.1. With a 21.8 percent market share among the overall audience, the gap to Pro Sieben Sat.1 was a whopping 7.7 percentage points.
Most successful third quarter since 2020
In the third quarter, the TV channel RTL did well with programs that stood in competition to major sporting events: With a market share of 9.2 percent among 14 to 59-year-olds (0.6 percentage points better than in the previous year), 7.6 percent among the overall audience (up 0.4 percent) and 9.9 percent among 14 to 49-year-olds (up 0.7 percent), RTL had its most successful third quarter since 2020. Unlike the Pro Sieben Sat.1 channels, RTL thus showed an upward trend. Its success drivers in the third quarter included the anniversary edition of “Ich bin ein Star – Showdown der Dschungel-Legenden” and the return of TV legend Stefan Raab to TV with “Der Clark Final Fight – Stefan Raab vs. Regina Halmich.” The news channel NTV recorded its most successful third quarter ever with a market share of 1.4 percent among 14- to 59-year-olds and 1.2 percent among the overall audience. And RTL Up attracted 2.3 percent of 14- to 59-year-old viewers in the third quarter, its best ratings in this demographic since the station was launched.
RTL+ was the clear number one of all measured streaming providers in the third quarter, with a usage volume of 123.03 million hours among 14- to 49-year-olds – and despite major sporting events in the competitors’ program. RTL+ was also the #1 among 14- to 29-year-olds with 38.40 million usage hours. Among 14- to 49-year-olds viewers, RTL+ achieved the top position of all measured streaming providers in both August (46.50 million hours) and September (37.81 million hours). In its target demographics of 14- to 49-year-olds (up 86 percent) and 14 to 59-year-olds (up 93 percent) and in the overall audience (up 94 percent), RTL+ achieved by far the strongest year-on-year growth in hours of usage of all providers reported.
‘Raab Boost’ for RTL+
One of the reasons for this is the “Raab Boost”. The first edition of the show format “Du gewinnst hier nicht die Million bei Stefan Raab” aka “DGHNDMBSR” on RTL+ three weeks ago has now been viewed around two million times. The second episode has already generated over a million views in Germany, Austria and Switzerland – and the number is still rising. In the stream rankings of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Videoforschung (AGF) for program brands, “DGHNDMBSR” was once again the most successful “streaming-only show format” in Germany in calendar week 39, with a net reach of 430,000 people. “With ‘Du gewinnst hier nicht die Million bei Stefan Raab’, we are celebrating a unique streaming-only success,” says Inga Leschek, Chief Content Officer at RTL Deutschland. “We were able to establish a weekly show on RTL+ that continues to give us happiness even three weeks after its launch. Since the strong start to the season, completely new viewers are still coming to RTL+ every day, subscribing to the Raab show and staying tuned in. In addition, the format is also discovered by existing RTL+ fans and is enthusiastically watched week after week. We are delighted about the continuous Raab entertainment on RTL+, which will continue to feature a lot of music in the future.”
Vox also recorded its best third quarter ever in terms of streaming usage and set a new all-time best on RTL+ in September 2024, driven in part by Daniela Katzenberger’s return to her home channel. RTL Deutschland’s audio division also recorded an outstanding third quarter: RTL+’s audio content – music streaming, audiobooks and podcasts – achieved year-on-year growth of 231 percent.
