German public broadcaster ARD "recorded very strong ratings for its winter sports broadcasts on Saturday," according to David Grzeschik of QUOTENMETER. The "day's highest-rated event was the biathlon World Cup," which attracted 3.19 million viewers starting at 2:30pm German time. The number translated into a market share of 22.9%. In the target demographic 14-49, the biathlon broadcast obtained a 17.7% share. Following the biathlon event, ARD aired the men's cross-country skiing race. The race coverage was watched by 2.42 million viewers and had a 16.5% share. Even ARD's speed skating broadcast, which started at 1:05pm, attracted 2.12 million viewers and obtained a 18.9% market share (QUOTENMETER, 12/8).
BOXING: DWDL's Marcel Pohlig wrote German free-to-air TV channel Sat.1 "dedicated Saturday night to boxing." The pre-fight coverage ahead of the middleweight bout between Felix Sturm and Darren Barker attracted 670,000 viewers and had a 16.8% market share. In the target demographic, the preview obtained a 7.5% share. The fight itself, which started at 11:30pm German time, was watched by 2.62 million viewers and received a 12.8% share. In the target demographic, Sturm's victory attracted 1 million viewers and had a 12.1% market share. The postgame coverage of the the about 20-minute fight still attracted 1.05 million viewers, including 370,000 in the target demographic. The numbers equaled market shares of 7.5% and 6%, respectively (DWDL, 12/8).
