From 1 January to 30 June 2024, RTL Deutschland achieved an average audience share of 27.4 per cent in the key 14-59 target group, extending its lead over main competitor ProSiebenSat.1 to a record 7.6 percentage points. Flagship channel RTL, meanwhile, achieved its strongest first half-year audience figures since 2019. RTL+ had the highest usage volume in the 14-29 target group and the highest growth rate among all streaming services in the 14-59 target group. Overall, RTL Deutschland celebrated strong audience figures during the first six months of 2024.
Inga Leschek, Chief Content Officer at RTL Deutschland, says: “A picture-perfect first half year! The fact that we achieved such great figures across TV and streaming shows that our content strategy is paying off. We have the best minds in front of and behind the camera and microphones, paired with an unbeatable mix of entertainment, news, sports and reality. Our afternoon line-up, consisting of three soaps and daily entertainment shows, also contributes to this outstanding overall success. Together with my team, I am looking forward to the second half of the year, in which we will take things to the next level.”
RTL: Best first half-year since 2019
Flagship channel RTL achieved an audience share of 10.4 per cent in the 14-59 target group – the strongest figure since 2019 – and a total audience share of 8.8 per cent – the strongest figure since 2017. With an increase of 0.6 percentage points compared to the same period last year, RTL is the only major German commercial broadcaster to achieve year-on-year growth. Success drivers were the live matches of the UEFA EURO 2024, Ich bin ein Star - Holt mich hier raus! (I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!) and Let’s Dance.
Vox: Number two among commercial broadcasters
In the first half of 2024, Vox confirmed its status from 2023 as the second-most-popular channel among commercial broadcasters in both the 14-59 and total audience target groups. Vox also extended its success to RTL+, with Vox programmes achieving the most successful first half-year ever in terms of programme starts.
Top-performing programmes
With 44.84 million viewers, news programme RTL Aktuell was the most-watched regular programme brand across TV and streaming in the first half of the year. Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten (Good times, bad times), RTL Direkt, Exclusiv and NTV Nachrichten completed the top-five list, showing a high demand for daily news shows. Among individual formats and series, the UEFA EURO 2024 achieved 42.83 million viewers, followed by Wer wird Millionär? (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?), Martin Rütter, Ich bin ein Star - Holt mich hier raus! and Let's Dance – showing a high demand for live sports and entertainment.
RTL+: First among all streaming services
Compared to the same period in 2024, RTL+ increased its usage volume by 20 per cent to 79.66 million hours in the 14-29 target group – ranking first among all measured streaming services. Similar to linear TV, the most successful programme brands were NTV Nachrichten, Ich bin ein Star - Holt mich hier raus! and Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten. Audio content on RTL+ – music, audiobooks and podcasts – achieved year-on-year growth of 273 per cent.
