Ratings comeback or ratings grave? Raab's show moves to free TV
He invented the game - but can he still win it? Stefan Raab competes against his own legacy. A showdown that will decide whether King Lustig returns to the TV throne - or falls for good.
"Here I am again," Stefan Raab warbled cheerfully into the camera during his big TV comeback on 18 September 2024, "so easy!"
Well, it wasn't quite that simple after all. If it had been easy, Raab's new show, "Du gewinnst hier nicht die Million bei Stefan Raab", would have been on free TV from the start. Instead, RTL preferred to hide the programme behind the RTL+ paywall for the time being. A test run because the slot was currently taken. Or, as Raab's eternal show intern Elton put it himself: "An experiment."
Now, a few months later, this paywall is coming down. From 12 February, Raab's show will be on free TV in prime time. And not just anywhere or anytime, but on RTL and directly against his own TV legacy: "TV Total". More direct confrontation is not possible.
A resort to the emergency brake - or a master plan?
There is no denying that RTL+'s ratings have fallen, as inga Leschek, Chief Content Officer at RTL Germany, confirmed herself. What was once celebrated as the German TV comeback of the year has already lost much of its appeal. It was obvious: hiding a show that relies so much on the "live feeling" behind a streaming paywall is like broadcasting "TV Total" without an audience - lifeless, charmless and somehow wrong.
But does that make the switch to free TV a capitulation? Not necessarily. RTL had planned it that way from the start: Either you win new subscribers with Raab - or you pull the plug and move it to linear TV. Now this is exactly plan B. Or plan A. Depending on how you want to read it.
Raab versus "TV Total" - betrayal of the prodigal son?
The real story, however, is a different one: Stefan Raab is now entering into direct competition with "TV Total". In other words, with the very programme that he invented, built up - and then left behind forever in 2015. Raab's new format is now running parallel to his own legacy. A real showdown.
At the same time, "TV Total" is no longer the "TV Total" of yesteryear. Since Raab's departure, the programme has been on hiatus and resumed for several years. Sebastian Pufpaff is currently at the helm. Quite decent, but not Raab. The ratings are solid, but also not earth-shattering.
And now the original is suddenly back on the scene. Cheeky, loud, hungry. Sometimes even politically incorrect. Raab obviously believes that he can once again assert his show against what his old programme has become. That he can steal viewers away from "TV Total". And that after almost ten years off the air, he is still relevant enough to dominate Wednesday evenings. Courageous? Definitely.
But also risky.
The nostalgia factor - and its limits
Because let's be honest: Raab may have staged his comeback spectacularly, but the concept of his new show? Basically "TV Total" with a game and quiz element thrown in. And that's exactly what he was criticised for after the first few episodes: The first part of the programme - the classic Raab talk with clips and nipples - is extremely entertaining, no question. The second part, on the other hand, often drags on like chewing gum. Some games take forever and the quiz part has no real suspense.
This is exactly what you notice in the viewing figures.
In addition, the audience has evolved - and Raab hasn't necessarily kept up. His humour? Yes, yes, still biting, but also from yesterday. Once revolutionary, today more like a "greatest hits" album with a few new tracks in between.
Will this work out? We'll know more from 12 February. Then it will be decided whether Raab will once again become the TV king - or whether his comeback will finally degenerate into a nostalgic "Oh yes, back then" moment.
Header image: Raab Entertainment / RTL / Julia Feldhagen
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Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»
