- Strong shares for ARD and ZDF
Public broadcasters draw a positive balance after the broadcast of the Olympic Games in Paris. 53.4 million viewers tuned in to ARD and ZDF over the last two weeks, reaching two-thirds of the population, as the two broadcasters announced on Monday.
Most-watched broadcasts on TV
ARD and ZDF reported from the French capital for 243 hours. Of these, 201 hours were dedicated to pure sports coverage, with the rest being interviews or background information.
A non-sports broadcast was also the most-watched Olympic show on ARD. The opening ceremony on July 26 was watched by an average of 10.44 million viewers. According to a press release, the most successful sporting events on ARD were the athletics evenings on August 4 and 8, each with 8 million viewers.
Even sports that usually have a niche presence in public television achieved strong viewing figures. The first channel's broadcast of the German women's hockey quarter-final against Argentina was watched by 7.74 million people. ARD's broadcast of the German women's table tennis semi-final was watched by 7.57 million, while ZDF's broadcast of the same event on August 5 was watched by 7.56 million. ZDF's broadcast of modern pentathlon on August 5 was watched by 7.43 million.
ZDF's broadcast of the women's 3x3 basketball final was watched by 7.40 million viewers, who were able to watch the entire match. However, the broadcaster had cut away just before the end of the semi-final, which attracted heavy criticism.
ZDF's most successful show was not a purely sports event either. 7.78 million people tuned in to watch the closing ceremony on Sunday.
65 million hours in the media library
ARD and ZDF offered live streams in their media libraries to complement their linear TV offerings. The providers were satisfied with the viewer response, with the offering being used a total of 225 million times, equivalent to 65 million hours of usage, according to the announcement.
The most successful individual broadcast in ARD's media library was the men's basketball semi-final against France, with 2.4 million views. ZDF, which counts its media library figures by day rather than event, achieved 2.05 million views on the second day of competition (July 28).
The Olympic Games in Paris received significant viewership, with ARD and ZDF reporting over 53 million viewers overall. The Olympic Games were indeed a major draw for audiences, as evidenced by the fact that The Olympic Games was the most-watched event on TV during this period.
