Cologne, December 17, 2025– Ten years ago, on February 20, 2016, RTLZWEI launched HARTZ UND HERZLICH, a format that has had a lasting impact on the German TV landscape. Since then, the social documentary produced by UFA Show & Factual has provided an authentic insight into the lives of people living in poverty – over months and years. Respectful, up close and without a script: Real life writes the stories – from major challenges to small moments of happiness. Time and again, the format shows how much warmth and solidarity is possible even under difficult conditions.

In two primetime specials on January 6 and 13, 2026, performers from different cities will come together for the first time. This will result in touching, funny and sometimes profound encounters.

Ralf Jühe, Executive Director UFA Show & Factual: “Ten years of HARTZ UND HERZLICH – that means ten years of real stories, real feelings and real trust. We are extremely grateful for the openness of the people who let us into their lives. I have great respect for them. They show us their worries, their hopes and their dreams – and that’s what makes this format so special. HARTZ UND HERZLICH provides an unadulterated insight into the reality of the people we accompany – and this insight is touching and moving. My special thanks also go to our great team behind the camera, who ensure that these stories can be told with passion, respect and tireless dedication.”

Konstanze Beyer, Program Director Factual & Documentary and Editor-in-Chief RTLZWEI: “HARTZ UND HERZLICH is a mainstay of the RTLZWEI program. As a long-term observation of social realities, the series is unique on German television. It has changed the way we look at people who receive social benefits or earn very little. HARTZ UND HERZLICH shows them not just as anonymous statistics or passive victims, but as families, friends and neighbors who help out and stick together. Many of our protagonists have become real-life celebrities for whom viewers show sympathy and respect. In this way, UFA Show & Factual and RTLZWEI are making a valuable contribution to an empathetic debate about solidarity in society.”

The social documentary has an impressive track record: In total, more than 700 episodes have been produced, comprising over 37,000 broadcast minutes. During this time, the UFA Show & Factual camera teams have accompanied more than 500 people – in 20 different cities throughout Germany. They covered all the highs and lows of everyday life, many moving moments and, time and again, very special events: For example, HARTZ UND HERZLICH has already celebrated twelve weddings and the births of fourteen children.

HARTZ UND HERZLICH continues to perform very successfully in its tenth year. The last primetime season “Return to Magdeburg”, which aired from September 9 to 23, 2025, achieved an average market share of 5.6 percent among 14 to 49-year-olds – 47 percent above the RTLZWEI channel average. The daily edition of HARTZ UND HERZLICH – TAG FÜR TAG BENZ-BARACKEN set a new all-time weekly record with a strong 7.9 percent market share among 14 to 49-year-olds in week 47. This year, 10.11 million viewers have already watched at least one episode of HARTZ UND HERZLICH or HARTZ UND HERZLICH – TAG FÜR TAG broadcast in prime time. This corresponds to 15 percent of all television viewers. The format is also convincing in streaming: the episode “Der Traum vom eigenen Zuhause” from the season “Das Wiedersehen” from Rostock has already achieved 815,000 views this year. In total, HARTZ UND HERZLICH has recorded over 20 million views in the RTL+ media library this year.*

Since the first episode of HARTZ UND HERZLICH – DIE EISENBAHNSIEDLUNG VON DUISBURG in 2016, the UFA Show & Factual camera teams have been on the road in the cities of Duisburg, Mannheim, Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Pirmasens, Salzgitter, Rostock, Krefeld, Nuremberg, Cologne, Bergheim, Düren, Hamburg, Trier, Magdeburg, Frankfurt/Oder, Eberswalde, Niedergörsdorf, Düsseldorf, Leverkusen and Kassel.

HARTZ UND HERZLICH is a production of UFA Show & Factual GmbH on behalf of RTLZWEI.

*Sources: AGF Videoforschung; AGF SCOPE 1.13; 01.01.2025-30.11.2025; market standard: moving image / AGF, AGF Census+: streaming video, census data from technical measurement, offers under AGF measurement until 30.11.2025