Germany’s most popular television series continues to lose power: the number of viewers of the ARD ratings hit “Tatort” has noticeably declined on average in 2023 compared to the previous year. On average, around 8.6 million tuned in to each first broadcast between the New Year and the second Advent, as ARD told the German Press Agency.
This means that the average reach fell by around 500,000 viewers compared to the same period in 2022. You have to go back to 2011 to find a lower value.
However, ARD can still be satisfied with an average market share of around 28.6 percent for each new “crime scene”. The social trend that fewer and fewer people are watching linear television can mean market shares (ratings) that remain the same or even higher than before, despite a smaller reach.
There will only be one new “crime scene” this year. It’s the Frankfurt case of “loss of control” on Boxing Day (December 26th).
Next Sunday, the third Advent (December 17th), a “Polizeiruf 110” crime story will be shown on Erste. The Sunday after that is Christmas Eve, on which the first will not be showing “Tatort” from 8:15 p.m., but will be broadcasting the Christmas film “When the fifth little light burns”. On New Year’s Eve, a Sunday, “The Big New Year’s Eve Show” with Francine Jordi and Hans Sigl will be broadcast on Erste at prime time.
Strong fluctuations
In the 34 “Tatort” cases in 2023 so far, the number of viewers has fluctuated greatly: the Münster crime thriller on March 5th was seen by almost 14 million, the Vienna “Tatort” on the very sunny Whit Monday (May 29th) or the experimental “Tatort” with Ulrich Tukur in October (October 22nd) only around 6 million each.
A total of seven of the previous “Tatort” crime novels ended up below the 7 million mark, only three above the 10 million mark. As always, the most successful films were those from Münster, with the second Münster crime thriller of the year starring Axel Prahl and Jan Josef Liefers last Sunday, the second Advent, being seen by almost three million fewer people than the first film. But there were still just over 11 million who tuned in. The third “crime scene” with more than 10 million viewers was the Cologne crime thriller “Abbruchkante” on March 26th.
Most popular TV series despite decline
The “Tatort” experienced a slight decline in viewers in 2022 as a whole: the average audience shrank to just under 9 million (calendar year 2021 still almost 9.2 million).
The ARD “Tatort” with around 20 different teams remains by far Germany’s most popular TV series. It has been around since 1970. Since then, 1,253 films have been broadcast with the label.
“Tatort” received a particularly strong response in 2014 and 2015. At that time, each new episode was watched on TV by an average of almost 10 million.
