The holiday season is synonymous with festive cheer and cozy gatherings, and for many, it’s also about the annual Christmas Day television specials. This year, the programming on the first Christmas Day featured a mix of films and shows with varying degrees of viewer engagement, leading to intriguing cable ratings.
Leading the charts was the highly anticipated Helene Fischer Show, which mobilized 3.61 million viewers, achieving a commendable 16.1% market share. While it may have fallen slightly from previous years, the show still managed to capture the attention of many fans. Targeting the younger demographic, the show garnered 0.72 million viewers among the 14-49 age group, reflecting strong engagement well above the ZDF channel’s average of 15%.
Trailing behind was the newly released adaptation of Ronja Räubertochter, which attracted 2.74 million viewers, equaling 11.7% of the market share, still finding itself behind the more engaging programming. Even though younger viewers numbered around 0.44 million, the ratings quickly dwindled as the night progressed, showcasing competition for viewer attention during this prime viewing time.
Sat.1 capitalized by airing Kevin allein in New York, appealing to the festive spirit and capturing the top spot with 0.97 million younger viewers, tying for strong 19.6% engagement among this demographic. Older adults weren’t left out, as they also tuned in, bringing viewership to 2.05 million. On the flip side, ProSieben experienced disappointment with the free-TV premiere of Dune, which mustered only 0.32 million viewers, resulting in a modest market presence of 6.7% across demographics.
The battle over entertainment on Christmas Day extended beyond films to include specials from national networks. RTL’s attempt to keep the viewers engaged featured the traditional game show Wer wird Millionär with its Christmas special. Here, it captured 0.61 million young participants, resulting in 13.4% market share, whereas the program found even more traction among older viewers, who numbered around 3.08 million (14.6%).
Contrasting viewing experiences ran parallel on other channels. While RTLZWEI’s choice of the film Stirb langsam – Ein guter Tag zum Sterben hardly found traction with only 0.18 million viewers (3.6%), VOX opted for the romantic classic Pretty Woman, featuring Richard Gere once again, which neither charmed younger (0.29 million, 5.9%) nor older audiences significantly.
Meanwhile, as viewers looked forward to the second Christmas Day, they anticipated the long-standing tradition of Traumschiff, set to air at 20:15 on ZDF. The show’s storyline this year takes audiences to Hudson Valley, New York, where the ship's owner, Hendrik Hansen (played by Peter Kremer), gathers his family around for his 70th birthday, bringing underlying tensions to the forefront.
This year's Traumschiff deviates slightly from its typical format by focusing on just two instead of the usual three intertwined tales, allowing for more depth and character exploration. The relationships within the Hansen family hint at classic tropes akin to Der kleine Lord, where familial bonds are tested but eventually softened through heartwarming gestures, especially from the youngest member, Lilly.
The narrative takes interesting turns when Hannah Liebhold (portrayed by Barbara Wussow) rekindles her romance with childhood sweetheart Thomas Wellenstein (Adnan Maral), causing ripples of jealousy from the ship's captain, Martin Grimm. Although their dialogues oscillate throughout the episode, the underlying theme of love being patient becomes prevalent, allowing viewers to engage with the relatable emotional journeys.
On Traumschiff, Florian Silbereisen as Max Parger summarizes the charming sentiment perfectly: "Wir alle machen Fehler. Das gilt auch für die Liebe, wenn sie am Horizont zu versinken droht und dann doch wieder auftaucht."
Reflecting on the varying successes of holiday programming this year, the ratings reveal much about viewer preferences and the nostalgia surrounding traditional Christmas programming. This year’s blend of familiar faces and classic storylines successfully drew the hearts of many, and as audience metrics suggest, these shows will continue to hold strong positions among the festive traditions for years to come.
