Ratings Roundup: Pubcasters Rule in European Prime Time

PREMIUM: Public broadcasters do well on Tuesday evenings in the biggest markets of continental Western Europe, as ratings results from November 20 proved this week.

In Germany, Italy and Spain the biggest audiences were for programs on state-owned broadcasters.

Tuesday in Germany belongs to ARD 1. It won the day with satirical crime series Mord mit Aussicht (Murder with a View) drawing 6.15 million viewers and a share of 18.9 percent. In the following slot, ARD 1 scored the second highest rating of the day with long-running soap opera In Aller Freundschaft (In All Friendship) at 5.94 million/18.6 percent. RTL pulled the third biggest audience with CSI: Miami at 4.18 million/12.9 percent.

In Italy, RAI dominated the evening. RAI 1 won Tuesday with the concluding episode of mini-series Questo Nostro Amore (This Love of Ours) at 5.989 million/20.74 percent. In second place for the day was a program airing in access time on the same channel, the local version of Endemol’s format Deal or No Deal (Affari Tuoi), with 5.660 million/19.09 percent. Third for the day was talk show Ballarò on RAI 3 at 3.994 million/14.67 percent, followed by back-to-back episodes of Criminal Minds on RAI 2 (2.960 million/10.01 percent for the second and slightly more successful).

In Spain, the biggest audience Tuesday was for the Champions League on TVE1. Matches were on pay-TV in France, Germany and Italy. Bayern Munich versus Valencia pulled 3.960 million viewers and a share of 0.6 percent for La 1. In Germany, the same match on Sky Deutschland set a new record for the tournament, topping 1 million viewers. Number two for the day in Spain was Telecinco’s light entertainment series Hay una cosa que te quiero decir (There’s Something I Want to Tell You), the local version of Italian series C’e Posta per te, hitting 2.150 million/10.5 percent. Close behind was Antena 3 with U.S. series Once Upon a Time at 2.012 million/9.9 percent.

In France, TF1 won the day easily as usual with The Mentalist, which owns the night. The U.S. series pulled 8.697 million viewers and a share of 30.9 percent. Number two was the French version of Simon Cowell’s Got Talent format on M6 with 4.197 million and a share of 16.1 percent. Public broadcaster France 3 was third with long-running comedy drama series Louis La Brocante (Second-Hand Louis) pulling 3.706 million/13.5 percent.