Germany: Pay‑TV & digital revenues reached €5.5 Billion in 2024

Germany’s pay‑TV and paid online video content market grew by approximately 6% in 2024, reaching €5.5 billion in revenue, according to the VAUNET study “Pay TV & Paid VoD in Germany 2024/2025”. In the same period, the number of pay‑TV subscriptions climbed to 15.2 million from 14.8 million the previous year, while subscription video‑on‑demand (SVoD) homes increased to 22.1 million, with forecasts anticipating growth to €5.8 billion in 2025 alongside 15.6 million pay‑TV subscriptions and 23.2 million SVoD users.

VAUNET’s report, which covers both national and international providers operating in Germany, also notes that AGF‑licensed pay TV channels averaged a monthly reach of 18.8 million viewers in 2024. While the market benefits from increasing consumer demand even amid economic headwinds, VAUNET executives highlight major competitive pressures in the form of global tech companies with far-reaching influence. Frank Giersberg, VAUNET’s Managing Director, said, “Even in a difficult economic environment, demand for pay TV and paid video content is increasing. The market is moving in a positive direction and offers consumers an impressive range of services. However, competition is becoming ever fiercer, and the unequal competition from Big Tech platforms remains one of the biggest challenges. In this situation, any additional regulatory burdens would send the wrong signal.”

Industry bodies emphasised Germany’s shifting consumption landscape. Tim Werner, CEO of Mainstream Media and Chair of the VAUNET Pay TV Working Group, remarked, “The positive market trend is an encouraging signal and confirms our work. With creativity, dedication and enthusiasm, our members contribute to the quality and diversity of television. Romance TV continues to rank second overall in terms of audience figures, while Heimatkanal — Germany’s nostalgia channel — remains firmly in the pay TV top ten and celebrated its most successful year yet in 2024.”

Providers also sense the opportunity in streaming growth; Henning Nieslony, Chief Streaming Officer of RTL Deutschland, said, “The German SVoD and pay TV market is one of the largest in the world. This means high dynamics, intense competition and diversity. Customers naturally switch between linear, VoD, free and pay services. With RTL+, we delivered in all three disciplines last year, expanded our market position and stood up to the global tech players. We will continue to pursue this path consistently.”

VAUNET’s findings suggest Germany’s market is not only growing in revenue but also expanding in scale and reach, indicating solid prospects for both domestic providers and international entrants in the audiovisual content sector.