RTL is ending the Sunday free-TV broadcast of "Diese Ochsenknechts" after just three episodes. The network is removing the fifth season from its schedule, as can be seen from the broadcaster's programming plan. Sunday early evening slots in the coming weeks will instead feature reruns of "Versicherungsdetektive" from 2020. RTL has not yet announced a broadcast on a different time slot, according to "DWDL".
Viewership Numbers Declined Continuously
The programming change is apparently driven by ratings. Even the premiere fell short of expectations. During the free-TV premiere on July 5, 0.57 million people tuned in according to AGF Videoforschung, with a market share of 3.3 percent. Among the target demographic, the docu-series was beaten by ProSieben competitor "Galileo X-Plorer", which achieved 11.9 percent with an episode about Mormons. Last Sunday, there were only 410,000 viewers total. Among 14- to 49-year-olds, the market share fell from 5.2 to 3.0 percent, and in the extended target demographic it most recently stood at 3.4 percent.
The format came to free-TV through the acquisition of Sky Deutschland by RTL Group, which was completed on June 1, 2026. The two houses mutually utilize their productions. "Diese Ochsenknechts" is among Sky's most important original productions and has now run for five seasons there. The series remains available for streaming; besides Sky and Wow, it is also available on RTL+.
"Diese Ochsenknechts": What It's About
"Diese Ochsenknechts" launched in 2022 on Sky and follows Natascha Ochsenknecht and her children Jimi Blue, Wilson Gonzalez, and Cheyenne. The fifth season with eight episodes was already available there starting April 21 and featured visits to the Chianina farm in Austria as well as trips to South Africa and Dubai.
Several spin-offs have emerged from the format. In 2023, "Unser Hof - Mit Cheyenne und Nino" followed, centered on the daughter and her husband Nino Sifkovits; in 2025, "Yeliz & Jimi - We Are Family?!" was added.
