“Unter Uns” is canceled: the calculation no longer works

It is precisely this calculation that is now the downfall of “Unter uns”: the ratio of effort to income is no longer correct. What was once a cash cow will be sold off in March 2027. The start date for the production was 1994. In this and the following decade, private television, as well as ARD and ZDF, discovered this format and offered the audience in ever new versions: “Everything that counts”, “Marienhof”, “An abundance of life”, Sat1 is currently trying its long-term happiness with “A Court to Fall in Love” and “Frieda – With Fire and Flame”.

Despite the brave reboots, the end of “Unter Uns” signals that the drama format has its heyday behind it. The use of linear television has fallen dramatically, especially among the target audience of 14 to 29 year olds. This audience is increasingly turning to streaming platforms and media libraries when it comes to serial satisfaction. The catalog of relevant offers has become so extensive that the associated competitive pressure can also push long-running products like “Unter uns” out of the radius of attraction and profitability.

ARD broadcasts its soaps in the afternoon

Even the market leader’s numbers “Good times, bad times” are no longer golden. While at the peak of affection in 2011 an average of 3.2 million viewers were gained every day, the last most successful episode, 8571, attracted almost 1.33 million out of 8,598 episodes currently broadcast. It doesn’t seem unthinkable that another soap will be eliminated from the former RTL success trio “Unter uns”, “Everything that counts” and “Good Times, Bad Times” in the medium term.

The big soaps are all set in the evening before or in prime time because these are the times when TV usage is highest. A series block breaks out of this pattern on ARD. The program has replaced soaps such as “Forbidden Love” and “Marienhof” with a quiz orgy in the broadcast slot before the “Tagesschau” at 8 p.m. Not at 2:10 p.m. and an hour later: first the “red roses” shine, then the “Storm of Love” rages. The two telenovelas are long-running favorites among seniors – the audience that continues to determine the programming of public television.