Bundesliga News

TV ratings suggest Germans remain interested in their national team

By Peter Weis   @PeterVicey

As the group stages of the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League group stages prepare to conclude, the debate in European footballing circles about the wisdom of holding international fixtures during the global pandemic's deadly second wave continues to rage. 

The latest TV ratings numbers nevertheless suggest that the German public are still interested in their national team. 
Article image
Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0
German broadcaster ZDF reported an average of 8.16 million viewers for their live coverage of Saturday evening's UNL fixture against the Ukraine. The number constitutes nearly one-tenth of the country's population and a 26.1 percent market share. 


The figures are in line with the previous four Nations' League encounters, all of which averaged an audience of roughly 8 million. Thus far, October's 3-3 draw with Switzerland was the most widely watched with an average of 8.18 million viewers. 

The two friendlies in which the Nationelf have participated in understandably drew weaker numbers. Broadcaster RTL reported that Wednesday's win over the Czech Republic attracted approximately 5.42 million viewers. This was slightly less than the 5.82 million who tuned in for October's exhibition against Turkey. 

The two friendlies still both captured roughly a 16 percent market share. Tuesday's showdown against Spain, which will actually determine which team tops the group and qualifies for the Nations League playoffs, is expected to draw a large audience. The Bundesrepublik's public television broadcaster (ARD) will air the match live at 20:45.


More about Germany

Bundesliga News

Fantasy Football

Tactics Talk

Editor's picks

Profiles

Turn back time