Fernsehen: Streaming sorgt weiter für Wachstum im Bezahlmarkt

Germany's market for paid streaming services and pay-TV channels remained strong in 2025, with total revenues reaching 5.5 billion euros, according to the Private Media Association (Vaunet). Vaunet forecasts a slight increase of 1.3 percent to 5.6 billion euros for the current year. Streaming services are driving the growth, with subscription video-on-demand offerings generating approximately 3.0 billion euros in 2025.

Vaunet predicts a 5 percent rise to 3.2 billion euros in the same year. Pay-TV revenues stood at around 2.0 billion euros last year, with Vaunet expecting a minor decrease to 1.9 billion euros in 2026. Despite stable revenues, the number of streaming service subscribers rose from 25.4 million to 25.9 million last year. Vaunet anticipates a further increase to 26.7 million subscribers by 2026.

The number of pay-TV subscriptions also grew, from 15.2 million in 2024 to 15.8 million in the previous year. Vaunet expects 16.4 million subscriptions by 2026. The increase in the number of subscriptions, while overall revenues have been stable, is attributed mainly to a more differentiated pay-TV market. There are now pay-TV platforms offering fewer channels and varying prices, which changes the relationship between revenue and subscribers.

Vaunet's CEO, Frank Giersberg, does not detect a trend of frequent switching between providers in the available data. However, many households still have multiple subscriptions. Vaunet's forecast for 2025 was an increase in total revenues to 5.8 billion euros, but it fell short, remaining at 5.5 billion euros. Giersberg acknowledged that various political and economic conditions were unpredictable and that a different market environment prevailed.