With an 18.3 per cent market share among shoppers aged 20 to 49, RTL 4 was once again the country’s most-watched channel in May. RTL 4 increased its viewer ratings by 6 per cent year-on-year. The finale of X Factor in particular captivated Dutch TV audiences, earning the channel market shares of up to 41.8 per cent, or up to 2.1 million viewers. But audiences also flocked to the election specials: the two TV debates – Carrédebat and Premiersdebat – were watched by 1.5 million and 1.4 million viewers respectively.
RTL 5 attracted 8.2 per cent of the 20 to 34-year-old viewer market in May. Its most popular formats included America’s Next Top Model and Project Catwalk, which scored market shares of up to 12.9 per cent in their target group. Films like Hitch and series such as Echte Gooische Meisjes also proved very popular with viewers.
Echte Gooische Meisjes
The men’s channel RTL 7 scored a market share of 7.7 per cent in its target group of 20- to 49-year-old men in May, an 18 per cent year-on-year increase in the channel’s May ratings. The return game in the KNVB Cup finale did particularly well, attracting more than 2 million viewers.
RTL 8 improved its performance among women aged 20 to 49 by 0.1 percentage points over the previous month, for a 3.4 per cent market share. As in the previous month, the period series The Tudors was one of the audience favourites, attracting 7.5 per cent of the market.
RTL Lounge continued its growth in May, with 1.3 million viewers tuning in to the digital special-interest channel at least once during the month. This represents a 10 per cent increase over April. The channel has increased its viewership particularly among women over the age of 13 years in recent months: after 581,000 female viewers in March, in April 692,000 women tuned in to RTL Lounge, and in May the number of female viewers over the age of 13 reached 736,000.