See Also: 'Pilot' Episode Guide

Desperate Housewives made its German TV debut yesterday, doing well in the face of tough competition.

3.6m viewers tuned into the "Pilot" episode on ProSieben, achieving a market share of 10.9%, reported Quotenmeter.de. In the 14–49 demographic, the show picked up 2.9m viewers for a market share 19.9%. It achieved these numbers despite airing opposite Champion's League football. It also had to contend with competitor network RTL deciding just a day earlier to air a new CSI: Miami in the same timeslot.

According to an article at Deutsche Well, Desperate Housewives made its debut at a time when ProSieben is trying to prop up its ratings, and German TV networks in general are looking for hit US shows to import. "As German television viewers have become more sophisticated and ratings for German productions have dropped off," wrote Kyle James, "network heads are again looking back across the Atlantic for a knight in shining armor. While they are surely happy to satisfy Germans' desire for more quality TV, their primary goal is to save their own skins as well."

Since its US debut, which reinvigorated the ABC network, the German premiere is just the latest in a line of rating success stories for the show which has now been licensed to 130 territories worldwide. Talking to WorldScreen.com creator Marc Cherry commented on what is now an international phenomenon: "For me, this has always been about global domination, one Wisteria-lined street at a time. So as long as there are 'desperate housewives' in the world, we're sitting pretty. Be afraid, be very afraid."

For the original German ratings report (in German) visit Quotenmeter.de. Deutsche Well's full article on the changing nature of German TV networks can be found here, and WorldScreen.com's article on international licensing can be found here.

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