European Championship final on ZDF
German handball players achieve top odds against Denmark
02/02/2026 – 11:13 amReading time: 2 minutes
The loss of the European Championship final by the German handball players gave ZDF a dream rating. One target group in particular surprises.
The final of the European Handball Championship between Germany and Denmark on Sunday evening did not have the outcome that the DHB and its supporters had hoped for. It was close for a long time, but in the end the hosts prevailed 34:27. The German handball players have nevertheless sparked enthusiasm at home, as the TV ratings show.
ZDF reached 12.822 million viewers with its broadcast of the final. This corresponds to a market share of 50.8 percent – the largest reach of the year so far on German television. The rate was particularly strong among young viewers: the market share here was 63 percent.
DHB CEO Mark Schober was enthusiastic. “The European Championship final was a campfire in front of which German television viewers gathered – handball thrilled and inspired. More than 50 percent market share is outstanding and a milestone,” he said, classifying the quota.
“This especially applies to the successes in the young target group,” continued Schober. “63 percent market share shows that, contrary to what some people assume, our sport is also very attractive to young people.”
The public broadcasters regularly attracted an audience of millions throughout the tournament. “These fantastic numbers, by the way without live streams and digital reuse, are compliments for the entire team,” said the DHB CEO. In addition, the European Championship was broadcast on the paid sports channel Dyn, which does not publish any figures.
The reach achieved is one of the best in the history of handball broadcasts. The currently valid best was at the 2007 World Cup final with 16.17 million people and a market share of more than 58 percent. Germany was crowned world champion against Poland.
