The most popular TV series in Germany, as of 2021, was Die Chefin on ZDF, with 6.51 million viewers. ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen) is a German public service broadcaster. Die Chefin (The Boss (f)) is a crime drama about the work of a female chief police inspector in Munich.
ZDF in the lead
According to the graph at hand, German viewers enjoy their procedural TV series, with the second most-watched show being Der Staatsanwalt (The Prosecutor) and Jenseits der Spree (Across the Spree (river in Germany)). All three are broadcast by ZDF. The broadcaster boasts a long list of various content, also accessible via its streaming library service (ZDF Mediathek). The highest production costs are incurred by serialized TV movies, followed by standalone TV movies and evening entertainment programs.
On TV
In a more general poll of the German population, the three most popular television genres (or genre groups) were recorded as follows: the news, sports broadcasts and programs, then travel and culture programs. While German crime series were a bit lower down on the list, they were still in the top ten, in addition to being well ahead of their U.S. equivalents. While the ways in which audiences access television content changes due to the constantly increasing use of streaming platforms and services, watching TV as a free time activity remains widespread in Germany, with over 62 million people doing so several times a week in 2021.
Most popular TV series in Germany in 2021, by number of viewers
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Media Perspektiven. (April 6, 2022). Most popular TV series in Germany in 2021, by number of viewers (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/782221/most-popular-tv-series-in-germany-by-number-of-viewers/
Media Perspektiven. "Most popular TV series in Germany in 2021, by number of viewers (in millions)." Chart. April 6, 2022. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/782221/most-popular-tv-series-in-germany-by-number-of-viewers/
Media Perspektiven. (2022). Most popular TV series in Germany in 2021, by number of viewers (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/782221/most-popular-tv-series-in-germany-by-number-of-viewers/
Media Perspektiven. "Most Popular Tv Series in Germany in 2021, by Number of Viewers (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 6 Apr 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/782221/most-popular-tv-series-in-germany-by-number-of-viewers/
Media Perspektiven, Most popular TV series in Germany in 2021, by number of viewers (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/782221/most-popular-tv-series-in-germany-by-number-of-viewers/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
Most popular TV series in Germany in 2021, by number of viewers (in millions) [Graph], Media Perspektiven, April 6, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/782221/most-popular-tv-series-in-germany-by-number-of-viewers/