MAINZ (dpa-AFX) - ZDF was once again the TV station with the highest ratings in Germany in 2024. With a market share of 15.4 percent as of December 20, the second channel was unassailably ahead and took the lead in the overall audience aged three and over for the thirteenth time in a row, as the broadcaster announced. In a year dominated by sporting events such as the Olympics, the European Handball Championships and the European Football Championships, both major public broadcasters made gains. Among younger viewers aged between 14 and 49, however, the private broadcaster RTL was once again ahead.

The average viewing figures for ZDF's main program this year were 0.8 percentage points higher than in the same period last year. In second place were the third channels, which together achieved 13.5 percent (minus 0.3). This is followed by the first program with 13.0 percent (plus 1.1 points). Third place in the overall audience was RTL, the strongest private channel, with 8.1 percent (up 0.2).

It was followed by Sat.1 with 4.5 percent (down 0.1), Vox with 4.3 percent (down 0.4), Kabel eins with 2.8 percent (down 0.4), ZDFneo also with 2.8 percent (up 0.2), ProSieben with 2.7 percent (down 0.3), and RTLzwei with 2.2 percent (down 0.2).

Looking at the young target group of viewers aged 14 to 49, the picture changes considerably. Despite the sports year, frontrunner RTL is the only channel to break the mark and is in double figures: 10.2 percent (up 0.1 points). Das Erste achieved 9.4 percent (up 2.0 points), followed by ZDF with 8.8 percent (up 1.7 points). It is followed by ProSieben with 6.8 percent (down 1.0 percent), the third channels with 6.2 percent (stable), Sat.1 with 6.1 percent (down 0.3), Vox with 5.9 percent (down 0.9), Kabel eins with 4.0 percent (down 0.5), RTLzwei with 3.8 percent (down 0.2) and ZDFneo with 2.0 percent (up 0.1)./bok/DP/jha