Forecast: Streaming revenue drives German market growth in 2026
October 21, 2026



According to the autumn forecast by VAUNET – German Media Association – revenue from audio and audiovisual media in Germany is expected to rise by 1.8 per cent to €16.3 billion in 2026 (2025: €16 billion). This comprises approximately €7.8 billion in subscription fees for paid services, €6.4 billion in advertising revenue and €2.2 billion in teleshopping revenue.

Changes in media consumption habits are also reflected in the figures: market growth is being driven entirely by rising revenue from video and audio streaming. At €8.6 billion, streaming revenue from paid services and advertising is expected to account for 52 per cent of the total in 2026, exceeding revenue from traditional broadcast media for the first time. In 2019, streaming accounted for just 26 per cent. Meanwhile, traditional TV and radio advertising revenue remains under pressure, with both segments expected to decline by 6 per cent in 2026. These findings are presented in VAUNET’s 2025 revenue statistics and 2026 forecast for the German audio and audiovisual media market, presented today in Berlin.


Frank Giersberg, Managing Director of VAUNET, commented: “Despite the challenging economic environment, we are seeing encouraging resilience across the media market as a whole in 2026. The increase in streaming revenue clearly illustrates the transformation currently taking place on the media market. Revenue from both paid services and advertising is rising in the streaming sector. Commercial media providers are driving this development through their investments. However, they are capturing an increasingly small share of the growth in advertising revenue: in video streaming, the four largest Big Tech players – Alphabet, Amazon, ByteDance and Meta – already account for 72 per cent of the total advertising revenue of €2.5 billion, and their share continues to grow. Meanwhile, TV and radio advertising revenue is still declining.”

Claus Grewenig, Chairman of the Board at VAUNET and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at RTL Deutschland, added: “VAUNET’s figures demonstrate the strength of our industry – but also highlight where action is needed on a political level. Growth in the media market no longer automatically benefits those whose services contribute to media diversity, the formation of public opinion and a democratic public sphere. As an ever-greater share of the value generated becomes concentrated in the hands of global platforms, economic developments increasingly become a question of media diversity. Hence, policymakers and regulators must deliver on their commitments to improve the conditions under which commercial media providers can finance their services and create a level playing field in the digital environment. This requires faster action, a moratorium to further regulatory and financial burdens, and a concrete media diversity action plan that translates the policy objectives of Germany’s federal and state governments and the European Union into effective measures by 2028.”

Total advertising revenue

According to VAUNET’s autumn forecast, total advertising revenue from audio and audiovisual media is expected to rise by 1.8 per cent to €6.4 billion in 2026 (2025: €6.3 billion). However, trends vary considerably between segments: while traditional linear advertising is coming under increasing pressure, streaming advertising revenue is expected to grow to €2.7 billion (2025: €2.4 billion), accounting for around 42 per cent of the total (2025: 37 per cent).

Radio and audio streaming advertising

For the audio advertising segment, VAUNET forecasts a 3.4 per cent decline in net revenue to around €783 million in 2026 (2025: €811 million). Radio advertising revenue is expected to fall by 6 per cent to approximately €636 million (2025: €677 million), while audio streaming advertising revenue is forecast to grow by 10 per cent to €147 million (2025: €133 million). Streaming’s share of total audio advertising revenue is therefore expected to increase to 19 per cent (2025: 16 per cent).

TV and video streaming advertising

For the audiovisual advertising segment, VAUNET forecasts a 2.5 per cent increase in net revenue to €5.6 billion in 2026 (2025: €5.5 billion). Television advertising revenue is expected to decline by 6 per cent to €3.1 billion (2025: €3.3 billion), while video streaming advertising revenue is forecast to record another double-digit increase, rising by 15 per cent to around €2.5 billion (2025: €2.2 billion). Streaming’s share of total audiovisual advertising revenue is therefore expected to reach 45 per cent (2025: 41 per cent).

Pay-TV and paid streaming services

According to VAUNET’s forecast, revenue from paid audio and video content is expected to rise by 2.3 per cent to €7.8 billion in 2026 (2025: €7.6 billion). Pay-TV revenue is forecast to decline by 4 per cent to €1.9 billion (2025: €2 billion). Meanwhile, the paid video-on-demand segment is expected to continue growing, with revenue increasing by 4.5 per cent to around €3.7 billion (2025: €3.5 billion). Paid audio revenue is forecast to rise by 5 per cent to approximately €2.2 billion (2025: €2.1 billion). Streaming is expected to account for 75 per cent of total revenue from paid audio and audiovisual services (2025: 74 per cent).

Teleshopping

Teleshopping revenue is expected to remain stable at the previous year’s level of €2.2 billion in 2026.