Aufgespiesst: Broadcast failure as a ratings check

Switzerland is known to have a problem with collecting and publishing its TV ratings. At the beginning of August, Germany presented a good alternative to the hundreds of measurements and evaluations. It should prove particularly useful for series: Just skip an episode and wait for the fans' reactions. If they get angry, it's worth continuing to produce the series. If the feedback is lukewarm, you can cancel the series.

That's what happened with "Lindenstrasse" on August 4. ARD suspended the Sunday long-running show and instead showed reports on the first main round of the DFB Cup and the swimming world championship. Is it still going on? On the Facebook page of "Lindenstrasse" and on Twitter, there was a hail of protests against this sacrilege on Sunday and Monday: "This would not have happened in the past," a Listra supporter expressed his indignation. "Lindenstrasse is an institution after all." Another user said, "You look forward to the new episode all week and then you turn on the boob tube and ... football ... really great." A third viewer hit it even harder: "It really sucked without 'Lindenstrasse.' I've never missed an episode and now this." And finally, the ARD coup also shook up "world views": "Even though I don't watch regularly - a cancellation of the series would destroy my world view for good. Listra has been a constant since I was 13," someone lamented. In short: a drama.

Shitstorm in a water glass

Before you smile, put yourself in the shoes of these people. They've been looking forward to a special flicker in their box for six days every week for 28 years - and then suddenly something else is on. That's mean. It's as if they went to church every Sunday and suddenly there's a rock concert instead of a church service. Blasphemy! Mind you: "Lindenstrasse" has been running for 28 years and this cancellation was only the third in all that time. Last year, the Zenkers and Beimers had to make way for two Olympic broadcasts. But for a real Listra fan, a world collapses when on Sundays between 6:50 p.m. and 7:20 p.m. everything is not as usual. On top of that, some broadcast time shifts strained the nerves of the already beleaguered fans.

In well-informed Listra circles, there are rumors of cost-cutting measures, even of a planned cancellation of "Lindenstrasse. I say! It was simply clever of ARD to test the loyalty of its series fans with a little doomsday. After all, ARD has long known that ratings have fallen from around 10 million to 3 million in the last 28 years. But how loyal the remaining viewers are can only be determined by "qualitative research. Between the lines, the station even admits to its small, mean, but subtle action: "The reaction of the fans shows how much they appreciate 'Lindenstrasse' and miss it when it doesn't come on at the usual time," said a spokeswoman for WDR. What need is there for clear ratings?

Model for Switzerland

The method could also work here. The only question is whether anyone in Switzerland would revolt if Klapproth were replaced by a test picture, "Tatort" by a cooking show and "Bauer sucht Frau" by a Heimatfilm. I'm afraid the "fans" wouldn't even notice the small change in programming. Which would not be primarily due to the fans ...