Frankfurt, 05/01/2023. Once again, news dominates TV usage: the market share of information programmes is again at 36.0 percentin 2022 (2021: 36.0 percent, 2020: 35.7 percent). Interest in news, magazines, reports & documentaries, talk shows and weather is driven by the continuing tense news situation. After two years in which Corona dominated events, the Ukraine war, the accompanying energy and economic crisis and rising inflation dominate the news in 2022. "The importance of information on television remains high. Those who tune in are increasingly looking for news," says Kerstin Niederauer-Kopf, CEO of AGF Videoforschung. Information is thus once again ahead of fictional programmes (35.1 percent, 2021: 35.5 percent) and factual entertainment (12.3 percent, 2021: 11.5 percent).
This is also reflected in the annual market shares of the news channels, especially in the younger target group: Welt and N-TV were both able to increase from 1.2 to 1.3 percent among 14 to 49 year-olds compared to the previous year. In calendar week 8, which includes the attack by Russian troops on 24 February 2022, Welt's market share in the target group rose to 2.5 percent, and that of N-TV even to 3.1 percent. The market shares of news programmes such as "Tagesschau" on Ersten, "heute" on ZDF and "RTL Aktuell" on RTL were also above the level of the pre-Corona year 2019 among the total audience aged three and over in 2022, albeit partly below 2021 and with lower viewing figures.
Overall, TV viewing among total viewers fell to 195 minutes last year (213 minutes in 2021), and among 14-49 year olds to 101 minutes (121 minutes in 2021). "During the Corona years 2020 and 2021, we observed significant special effects: Almost everyone was affected by the measures and found out about them on a daily basis. During the lockdowns, television was one of the few leisure activities still possible. This was reflected in exceptionally high TV usage. We now see a normalisation in the long-term trend," explains Kerstin Niederauer-Kopf. The exceptionally warm weather and the lack of Corona restrictions in 2022 seem to have led to people taking more leisure activities outside the home and watching correspondingly less TV. "The catch-up effects we expected seem to have occurred," says Niederauer-Kopf.
Streaming usage on the rise
This is also supported by the fact that streaming usage has increased again, but not to an extent that compensates for the declines on TV. In the broadcasters' offerings measured by AGF, the total viewing time in 2022 for viewers is just over 4 minutes - an increase of 9.5 percent on the previous year. Among 14 to 49 year olds, it is just under 5 minutes (+4.9 percent).
In addition, there is the usage of large streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon and Co. which the AGF measures passively with routers. Here, the viewing duration on smart TV devices among adults aged 14 and over was 22 minutes in December 2022, and 32 minutes among 14- to 49-year-olds.
FIFA World Cup boycott dampens interest / Games successfully livestreamed
The strong effects that usually trigger major sporting events such as the Olympic Games and football World or European Championships failed to materialise in 2022. The FIFA World Cup in Qatar was normally a street sweeper in the programme. "However, due to the discussions about human rights violations, the awarding modalities and the subsequent calls for a boycott, as well as a postponement of the tournament from summer to the dark season, the World Cup feeling has largely failed to materialise," says Niederauer-Kopf.
Even though the games of the Men's World Cup were less popular than comparable earlier tournaments, games with German participation as well as the semi-finals and finals in particular recorded high livestream usage: In the case of the match between Germany and Japan, which was broadcast on 23 November 2022 from 2 p.m. on Ersten, 12.5 percent or 1.159 million viewers were added to the TV via the livestream, so that the viewing participation for TV and streaming were 10.419 million. The final Argentina - France on Sunday, 18 December 2022, at 4 p.m. on Ersten was also watched by 0.839 million on livestream, resulting in a viewing participation of 14.723 million.
A total of 60.466 million viewers tuned in to a World Cup match on TV or livestream at least once. At the UEFA Women's Euro in the summer, the figure was 49.301 million. However, there were also significantly fewer televised matches from this tournament than from the men’s FIFA World Cup.
Women's football inspires (more than the men)
The UEFA Women’s Euro matches broadcast, especially the semi-final and final, on the other hand, enjoyed comparatively high viewing participations. "The enthusiasm for women's football has noticeably increased," says Niederauer-Kopf. The final match between England and Germany on 31 July 2022 from 6 p.m. on Ersten is even the strongest TV programme of the year with a viewing participation of 17.952 million viewers and a market share of 64.5 percent in the overall audience.
The men's World Cup match against Costa-Rica (Das Erste), on the other hand, only made it to second place with 17.495 million and 53.1 percent. This was followed by the men's World Cup match between Spain and Germany (ZDF), the Münster Tatort "Des Teufels langer Atem" (Das Erste) and the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France (Das Erste).
Top 5 TV formats 2022: Total viewers (Mon-Sun, 3-3 p.m.) | Average viewing participation | Market share | Minimum broadcast length 10 minutes
- "Women's European Football Championship: England - Germany" (Das Erste, 31.07.2022): 17.952 million | 64.5%
- "Football World Cup 2022: Costa Rica - Germany" (Das Erste, 01.12.2022): 17.495 m | 53.1%
- "Sportstudio Live - FIFA World Cup 2022: Spain - Germany" (ZDF, 27.11.2022): 17.064 m | 48.6%
- "Tatort: Des Teufels langer Atem" (Das Erste, 16.01.2022): 14.569 m | 41.1%
- "Football World Cup 2022: Argentina - France" (Das Erste, 18.12.2022): 13.884 m | 53.3%
Source: AGF Videoforschung in cooperation with GfK; VIDEOSCOPE 1.4, 01/01/2022-31/12/2022, market standard: TV, from 04.01.2023
Among 14-49 year-olds, on the other hand, the World Cup match between Spain and Germany ranked first with a viewing audience of 5.955 million (market share: 57.7 per cent), followed by Costa Rica against Germany. The Women's European Championship Final comes in third, with a viewing audience of 5.400 million and a market share of 70.7 per cent.
Top 5 TV formats 2022: 14-49 years (Mon-Sun, 3-3 p.m.) | Average viewing participation | Market share | Minimum broadcast length 10 minutes
- "Sportstudio Live - FIFA World Cup 2022: Spain - Germany" (ZDF, 27.11.2022): 5.955 m | 57.7%
- “FIFA World Cup 2022: Costa Rica - Germany" (Das Erste, 01.12.2022): 5.852 m | 63.1%
- "European Football Championship Women: England - Germany" (Das Erste, 31.07.2022): 5.400 m | 70.7%
- "Sportstudio Live - FIFA World Cup 2022: Moderation" (ZDF, 27.11.2022): 4.494 m. | 49.5%
- "FIFA World Cup 2022: Argentina - France" (Das Erste, 18.12.2022): 4.059 m | 59.1 %
Source: AGF Videoforschung in cooperation with GfK; VIDEOSCOPE 1.4, 01/01/2022-31/12/2022, market standard: TV, from 04.01.2023
Basically, the 2022 hit lists are dominated by crime series such as Tatort, news programmes and football - be it the FIFA World Cup, the European Championship or even the Europa League, in which Eintracht Frankfurt surprisingly won the cup. The final against Glasgow Rangers, including extra time and penalty shoot-out on RTL, was watched by a total of 9.047 million viewers (market share: 38.9 percent) and 3.309 million viewers between the ages of 14 and 49 (market share: 50.3 percent).
As in the previous year, the most successful show was the revival of "Wetten, dass ...?" (ZDF) on 19 November 2022, which, after the successful restart in 2021, achieved a total audience of 10.442 million and a market share of 39.6 percent. Among 14- to 49-year-olds, the viewing participation was 2.808 million (44.5 percent). Among 14 to 49-year-olds, another show in the Top 20 is the "Eurovision Song Contest 2022" on Ersten, with a viewing participation of 2.743 million (market share: 47.6 percent).
Farewell to the Queen
The death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022 was a particularly moving moment - also on TV. In a multitude of special broadcasts, viewers said farewell to the Queen who had accompanied most of them throughout their lives. A total of 34.486 million people followed the coverage of the funeral on 19 September via TV and livestream. The farewell ceremony, which lasted several hours and in which the coffin with the dead monarch was taken from Westminster Hall to Windsor, was broadcast by numerous public and private TV stations.
In the two weeks following the Queen's death, a total of 50.306 million viewers watched at least one programme on TV or livestream that dealt with the Queen and her life.
FThe universe for the market standard TV in the AGF evaluation systems is the resident population in the Federal Republic of Germany aged 3 and over in private households with at least one television set in use and a German-speaking main income earner. In the market standard Bewegtbild, the universe is expanded to include all those households that only have one internet-capable device in the household to be able to use video. More about the AGF's methodology and measurement techniques at agf.de.