Overview
- ARD removed the annual Starnacht am Wörthersee from its national Das Erste Saturday prime-time lineup and handed live German broadcast rights to regional network MDR.
- MDR will air the show live on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at about 20:15, simultaneously with Austria's ORF 2, preserving a live transmission for German viewers.
- Broadcasters and specialist reporting trace the decision to relatively low German ratings for the 2025 edition—around two million viewers—and the scheduling clash with a World Cup quarter-final later that night.
- Hosts Barbara Schöneberger and Hans Sigl remain confirmed for the 2026 show and several performers—including Beatrice Egli, Semino Rossi, Al Bano, Ray Dalton and Angelo Kelly—have already been announced.
- The change shifts the program back to regional airing after a brief Das Erste run and follows fan complaints in 2025 about delayed German broadcasts, a reputational factor that adds pressure on future scheduling and viewer access.