BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - The classic "Kevin - Home Alone" was the most-watched Christmas movie on television on Christmas Eve. On Sat.1, 2.40 million viewers watched the 1990 US comedy from 8.15 p.m. on Sunday. The market share was 14.3 percent.

Christmas Eve is generally regarded as the weakest TV evening of the year in terms of viewership. In prime time on December 24, Sat.1 has always won against the other channels' offerings with the comedy classic about eight-year-old Kevin, who defends his home against burglars.

On ARD, the comedy "Wenn das fünfte Lichtlein brennt" (When the Fifth Light Burns) reached 1.87 million viewers and a market share of 11.4 percent from 8.15 pm. "Die Feuerzangenbowle" then attracted more viewers: The 1944 film starring Heinz Rühmann attracted 2.00 million viewers (11.5 percent). The strongest Christmas film on ARD, however, was the 50-year-old classic "Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrodel", which 2.24 million (17.2 percent) wanted to see at 1.15 pm.

On ZDF, it was "Christmas Eve with Carmen Nebel" for the last time. In September, ZDF announced that it would be reorganizing Christmas Eve from 2024 and ending the tradition with the now 67-year-old presenter. ZDF had been offering the show since 2012 - with the exception of 2018. The last edition was watched by 1.69 million viewers (10.0 percent).

On ProSieben, fans were able to watch the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" for ten hours. The first part "The Fellowship of the Ring" was watched by 0.50 million (4.0 percent) from 2 p.m., the second part "The Two Towers" was watched by 0.72 million (6.0 percent) from 5.20 p.m., and the finale "The Return of the King" from 8.15 p.m. was watched by 1.13 million (6.9 percent).

The fantasy comedy "Eine zauberhafte Nanny" on Vox attracted 0.93 million (5.6 percent), the western "Die rechte und die linke Hand des Teufels" on Kabel eins 0.86 million (5.1 percent) and the thriller "Illuminati" on RTLzwei 0.68 million (4.0 percent).

RTL opted for a contrasting program and showed games from the US National Football League (NFL) throughout the evening. The first match between the Cleveland Browns and the Houston Texans peaked at 0.32 million viewers (1.8 percent). The following match between the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins saw a slight increase in viewing figures, reaching 0.61 million (5.6 percent) at times./sm/DP/he