Touchdown For RTL!
RTL Deutschland, the NFL’s free-TV partner in Germany, achieved new records in its second NFL season. The highlight of the season was the broadcast of NFL Super Bowl LIX live from New Orleans, which attracted an average market share of 60.9 percent among 14- to 49-year-olds. RTL broadcast NFL games live from the U.S. a total of 18 times, another record.
In its second season as the exclusive German free-TV partner to America’s National Football League, RTL Deutschland scored new record ratings with its broadcasts of NFL games. Following the premiere season, which increased reach and market shares across all relevant target groups, the NFL’s audience ratings on RTL Deutschland continue on the up and up. The highlight of the season was last Sunday’s broadcast of the NFL Super Bowl LIX. With an average market share of 48.9 percent among 14- to 59-year-olds and a whopping 60.9 percent among 14- to 49-year-olds, the season finale scored outstanding ratings in both target demographics, on a par with the free-TV record figures for last year’s Super Bowl VIII. The Super Bowl also achieved a good market share of 32.8 percent among the overall audience. An average of 1.31 million football fans watched live on Monday night as the Kansas City Chiefs clearly failed to achieve what would have been a historic “three-peat,” or third consecutive Super Bowl title, against the Philadelphia Eagles. At peak times, as many as 1.71 million fans watched the free-TV broadcast on RTL.
Earlier, the dramatic battles for who would make it to this year’s Super Bowl not only resulted in season records for RTL, but also yielded two all-time records in the playoffs. The nailbiter between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs was a particular success, with market shares of 24.7 percent among 14- to 59-year-olds (+3.8 percentage points year-on-year) and 32.9 percent among 14- to 49-year-olds (+5.1 percentage points year-on-year) setting set new playoff records for “RTL NFL” in both target groups. The game with the highest reach across the season was the NFC Championship Game. The broadcast averaged 1.01 million viewers and peaked at 1.21 million as fans watched the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory against the Washington Commanders live on RTL.
Viewer enthusiasm for the NFL on RTL was also evident in the regular season with two games each during Sunday evening primetime. RTL was able to replicate the top ratings of the successful premiere season and increase them in both target groups. The broadcasts remained a marketing success in the target demographic of young male viewers (14 to 29 years), where they attracted up to 29.3 percent of the market during the regular season and 38.7 percent during the playoffs.
RTL Deutschland’s second season also featured increased on-site presence at U.S. stadiums. Including Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans and the NFL Draft in Detroit, RTL presented 18 live broadcasts from the U.S. This means that RTL Deutschland has aired more NFL broadcasts from the U.S. than any German broadcasting partner ever before, and provides the foundation for the league’s further development as an international sport.
“Our second NFL season has been a complete success: in addition to the Superbowl at the previous year’s level, we set new all-time records with the Championship Games and were on location in U.S. stadiums even more often to bring the sport and the lifestyle into people’s living rooms,” commented Inga Leschek, Chief Content Officer at RTL Deutschland. “The NFL continues to enjoy strong growth in Germany, and we thank the league, all partners, and of course our on-air talent for a great season. And just like the athletes themselves, we can always go one better and improve. Our RTL offseason for the 2025/26 season starts today.”
The NFL offers top sports entertainment throughout the year with its live events. The action continues on April 24 with the NFL Draft from Green Bay, broadcast live on Nitro.
