A record audience for DTM opener.

The DTM has started the season with a record audience for its opening round at the Hockenheimring Baden-W?rttemberg, April 27.

An average of 2.11 million viewers [aged 14 and above] with a peak audience of 2.38 million watched the ZDF-coverage from 13.45 untill 15.15 hours.

This is almost twice as much as the live-coverage of last year's season opener, that attracted 1.28 million viewers. On April 27, the market share was 15.4 percent. Last year, the DTM, that is alternately being covered by ARD and ZDF, reached an average of 1.51 million viewers at its total of ten rounds.

To promote the DTM-TV-coverage of the first round, ZDF broadcast a total of 15 trailers between April 20 and 27, that reached a total audience of 29.54 million viewers.

Compared to last year, the accumulated TV-contacts directly on the Saturday of qualifying and the Sunday of the race, have more than doubled. Last weekend, 28.54 million contacts were registered by the IFM, against 13.29 millions in 2002. No less than 7.92 million viewers saw the 50 seconds' report about the DTM race in the ARD Tagesschau news.

The coverage in the print media also exceeded last year's figures, that were already very good. The pre- and post-reports about the opening round of the 2003 season reached a record circulation of 59 millions, against a circulation of 37 millions last year, while only 140 selected publications are being considered.

In the fourth year of the partnership between the DTM and the TV-broadcasting stations ARD and ZDF, the start- and broadcasting times have been unified. In 2003, all DTM-races are being started at 14.00 h for the first time. Every Sunday during a race weekend, ARD and ZDF are being covering the DTM with a duration of approximately 90 minutes from 13.45 h onwards.

The next round, the DTM-premiere at the Adria International Raceway near Venice in Italy will be broadcast by the ARD on May 11. Qualifying for the Adria round can be seen live on May 10 from 13.00 till 14.00 h on the third channels of HR and WDR, with delayed reports on Saturday afternoon on SWR and BR.