Fresh AGF figures show how audiences split between traditional TV and streaming for the first days of the World Cup. Linear TV remains dominant, but millions now watch exclusively online.
New audience data from AGF is giving publishers and media operators a clearer look at how viewers are consuming World Cup coverage across platforms. For the first time, independently verified numbers compare the reach of linear TV and streaming for major events like the World Cup, offering actionable insights for those managing content distribution and monetization strategies.
The latest AGF Programmmarken data, covering June 8 to 14-including the World Cup's opening days-shows that traditional TV still commands the largest share of viewers. The opening match featuring the DFB team on June 14 drew an average of 23.43 million viewers to the linear broadcast on Das Erste, with this figure representing those who watched the entire match. In contrast, AGF's Programmmarken counts anyone who watched at least one second of any World Cup-related content, including live games, highlights, and clips.
During the first four days, Das Erste's "Sportschau Fußball-WM" content reached a net audience of 43.54 million via linear TV. Streaming platforms added another 5.862 million viewers. After accounting for overlap, the combined net reach was 45.945 million, with 2.405 million people consuming "Sportschau Fußball-WM" exclusively via streaming and never tuning in to the linear channel. These figures do not include third-party platforms like YouTube, which could further boost total reach.
ZDF's numbers were slightly lower, as it had not yet aired a German team match during this period. The "Fußball-WM" brand on ZDF reached 32.497 million via linear TV and 4.594 million via streaming, for a combined net reach of 35.114 million. Notably, 2.617 million viewers watched ZDF's World Cup content only through streaming, never on the linear channel. AGF has not yet released data for individual matches, but monthly streaming charts-focused on views rather than net reach-are expected to provide more detail in July.
For those tracking shifts in audience behavior and platform performance, these numbers highlight the continued dominance of linear TV for major live events, even as streaming-only audiences grow into the millions. This mirrors broader trends in digital news consumption, as seen when Axios expanded its local news footprint to new US markets, reflecting the ongoing evolution of how audiences access content across channels.
