Overview
- The ARD and its regional producer SWR announced in March 2026 that the long-running Sunday Schlager show will not continue after the 2026 season, citing sustained cost pressure and a strategic shift toward digital entertainment for younger viewers.
- Stefan Mross, the show's host since 2005, has said he was told of the decision only hours before the public learned of it and that he refused to sign prewritten quotes he says were offered to make the end look mutual.
- SWR has disputed neither the end of the show nor its March 20 notification to Mross and has stressed confidentiality around internal talks while describing the choice as a painful, budget-driven step.
- Production will wind down with the final run of live episodes beginning on 31 May and continuing through summer with extra broadcasts and a best-of finale in September 2026, affecting staff and local partners at Europa-Park in Rust.
- Mross is exploring offers from private broadcasters and plans a 2027 stage tour called 'Immer wieder Stefan' while facing some public criticism over past last-minute cancellations that have complicated his public response.