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Harald Krassnitzer as Moritz Eisner and Adele Neuhauser as Bibi Fellner in »Tatort: Azra«: Only 5.8 million viewers on Whit Monday

Photo: Felix Vratny / dpa

Germany's most popular television series is apparently weakening: The average number of viewers of the ARD ratings hit "Tatort" has declined noticeably so far this year - especially compared to the TV boom times during the Corona crisis.

On average, 8.7 million people watched the first broadcasts in the first between January 1 and the end of May, as the ARD program directorate in Munich told the German Press Agency. This means that the range fell by more than half a million compared to the same period in 2022. From New Year's Day to the end of May 2021 – a peak of the Corona crisis – an average of 9.8 million viewers watched each episode.

Wien mau, Münster wow!

The number of viewers has fluctuated enormously so far in 2023: for example, only about 5.8 million watched the Viennese "Tatort" on very sunny Whit Monday, but about 13.9 million watched the Münster crime thriller in March.

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Münster »Tatort« duo: Stable ratings

Photo: Thomas Kost / Bavaria Fiction GmbH / WDR

Of the 20 »crime scenes« so far in 2023, only two films have attracted more than 10 million TV viewers: in addition to the Münster film »MagicMom« from 5 March, this was also the Cologne crime thriller »Abbruchkante« from 26 March.

Four of the previous »Tatort« crime thrillers even landed below the 7 million mark this year: in addition to the Viennese crime thriller »Azra« from 29 May, this was, for example, the Zurich film »Seilschaft« from 30 April.

But it was not only the cases from Austria and Switzerland that scored particularly little with German television audiences. The new RBB investigator Susanne Bonard, played by Corinna Harfouch, also got off to a below-average start. The unusual double episode from Berlin, "Nothing but the Truth", about right-wing structures and conspiracies within the security and state apparatus, had a hard time at Easter. On Easter Sunday (9 April) there were 4.6 million viewers, on Easter Monday (9 April) 10.4 million.

However, ARD can still be satisfied with its average market share of around 28 percent so far in 2023. In 2016, for example, the average market share in the first five months was "only" 25 percent per new episode, even though the average number of viewers was 9.3 million.

The social development that fewer and fewer people are watching linear television overall can mean higher market shares and ratings than in previous years with a lower reach.

2014/15 was the peak of popularity

Until the summer break 2023 (from 18 June), two new »Tatort« crime thrillers will be released: »Hochamt für Toni« from Franconia (4.6.) and »Die Nacht der Kommissare« from Stuttgart (18.6.).

On the Sunday in between (11.6.) the first shows the Munich »Polizeiruf 110: Paranoia«. It is the last case with Verena Altenberger.

For 2022 as a whole, the »Tatort« had already experienced a slight decline in viewers. The average audience shrank to 8.9 million (calendar year 2021 still 9.18 million). The average number of viewers for 36 crime thrillers in the calendar year 2022 was thus the lowest since 2018.

Nevertheless, the ARD "Tatort" with around 20 different teams is by far Germany's most popular TV series. It has been around since 1970. Since then, 1239 films have been broadcast with the label.

In 2014 and 2015, »Tatort« received a particularly large amount of audience and media coverage. At that time, each new episode was watched by an average of almost 10 million viewers on TV.

feb/dpa