Kasia Davies
Research expert covering the German market
Digitalization of the media industry in Germany - statistics & facts
The digitalization of the German media industry is an ongoing process, but one which took center stage during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic after it had been declared by the WHO in March 2020. The industry faces constant changes, both in terms of consumer behavior and technological innovations, which in turn lead to faster, easier access to a variety of media, and also feed mobile consumption – this relates to using mobile devices as well as being on the go. In fact, smartphones were among the most used devices for personal media consumption in Germany.
The internet was among the most used types of media in terms of daily usage time in 2022, mainly for watching online videos, shopping online, using social media, reading articles and blogs, as well as e-learning and online banking. The internet has long been crucial for the digitalization process, as it can combine those types of media which used to exist separately – text, audio and video – on one device. Millions of German internet users went online as they found themselves facing lockdowns and restrictions in daily life caused by the pandemic.
Digitalization in media does not sweep through all its segments at the same time. Some may be progressing with digitalization more rapidly than others. One such example is music. Digital music revenue in Germany only grew in recent years. Digital music sales also significantly exceeded physical ones during the last decade. However, digital music sales themselves dropped year after year, with a contributing factor undoubtedly being increased opportunities to listen to music on streaming services, either for free with certain limitations like advertising, or unlimited for a monthly subscription fee. Subscriptions to video on demand services have increased in recent years, while DVD purchases have decreased, as has physical video renting. Video on demand viewing lent itself well to daily schedules changed by lockdowns and working from home. E-commerce and downloads were the main sales channels for video content in Germany.
The internet was among the most used types of media in terms of daily usage time in 2022, mainly for watching online videos, shopping online, using social media, reading articles and blogs, as well as e-learning and online banking. The internet has long been crucial for the digitalization process, as it can combine those types of media which used to exist separately – text, audio and video – on one device. Millions of German internet users went online as they found themselves facing lockdowns and restrictions in daily life caused by the pandemic.
Digitalization in media does not sweep through all its segments at the same time. Some may be progressing with digitalization more rapidly than others. One such example is music. Digital music revenue in Germany only grew in recent years. Digital music sales also significantly exceeded physical ones during the last decade. However, digital music sales themselves dropped year after year, with a contributing factor undoubtedly being increased opportunities to listen to music on streaming services, either for free with certain limitations like advertising, or unlimited for a monthly subscription fee. Subscriptions to video on demand services have increased in recent years, while DVD purchases have decreased, as has physical video renting. Video on demand viewing lent itself well to daily schedules changed by lockdowns and working from home. E-commerce and downloads were the main sales channels for video content in Germany.
