Kasia Davies
Research expert covering the German market
Television in Germany - statistics & facts
2023 saw the lowest figure since 1988 when it came to the share of people who watch television in Germany at around 65 percent. Figures peaked at around 75 percent and although this is not a drastic decrease if trends continue it leaves the question of what the future of TV looks like, will it be replaced by streaming or other online hobbies?
Televisions are a necessity for many households and for watching news or live sports events they are usually the go to device. However, the rise of streaming services pose a threat to traditional TV and many people have become used to being able binge watch a new TV show whenever they please, rather than having to wait each week for a new episode. Similarly, the choice that streaming services offer is something that traditional TV cannot compete with.
TV revenue
The number of households in Germany with TV reception has remained stable during the last decade. These households differed by type of reception, though the most widespread were cable TV and satellite. As in some other countries, German television is split into public service, private, and paid (pay TV) broadcasters. Public broadcasters are funded through fees from viewers, which are collected by a central authority, ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice. The name already includes three out of Germany’s nine public broadcasters. Unlike in other countries, these fees are not optional or dependent on whether or not someone owns a TV. Meanwhile, the bulk of private broadcaster revenue is generated through advertising. In 2022, among German television channels, RTL achieved the highest ad revenue at around 3.3 billion euros, followed by ProSieben and Sat.1.Traditional television or streaming?
The most popular TV genres among German viewers include the news, travel, and science, animal, and nature programs. The television industry will also have to face continuing changes in consumer behavior regarding viewing, with online streaming services playing a significant role in this, as well as media consumption on mobile devices. The latter, however, is true for media usage in Germany in general. The convenience of streaming services is a huge advantage over mainstream TV, as the viewer can watch numerous films or TV shows, old and new, in their own time. Furthermore, there are multiple streaming services for viewers to choose from such as Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+. Germany ranks in the top 10 countries with the most content available on Netflix, at almost 7,500 pieces of content.Televisions are a necessity for many households and for watching news or live sports events they are usually the go to device. However, the rise of streaming services pose a threat to traditional TV and many people have become used to being able binge watch a new TV show whenever they please, rather than having to wait each week for a new episode. Similarly, the choice that streaming services offer is something that traditional TV cannot compete with.
