Use of streaming services in Germany stagnating, most watch traditional television

Four fifths (81%) of Germans continue to watch traditional television programmes regularly – i.e. more than half their viewing time – a new study by Deloitte has found.

At the same time, the number of users of on-demand streaming services is stagnating – some 64% of Germans say that they have at least one paid subscription service, the same percentage as last year.

In addition, in households with multiple subscriptions, the number of subscriptions on average has only increased moderately, year-on-year, from 2.2 to 2.5.

Consumers are also more discretionary when it comes to selecting the streaming services that they sign up to, with many taking out subscriptions temporarily to watch a particular series, and then cancelling them once the season is over.

Some 9.5% of respondents said that they had taken out a subscription and cancelled it in the same year.

Deloitte made the assessment in the 18th edition of its Deloitte Media Consumer Survey, which examined the German consumer perspective on TV and video-on-demand services.

Interest in streaming services

“The enormous growth that video-on-demand services experienced during the coronavirus pandemic has now subsided,” commented Deloitte’s Sophie Pastowski. “But even though the number of users has reached a plateau, interest in the content is by no means waning: almost one in two people streams more than they did twelve months ago.

“The competition for the screen time and budgets of the TV and video audience will become even more intense in the future.”

Other findings from the study indicate that while 59% of German media users are willing to pay for live sports subscriptions, they are conscious about spending too much – fewer than 15% would be willing to spend over €30 on such subscriptions.

The role of artificial intelligence

Elsewhere, the survey reveals scepticism toward artificial intelligence in media production, from AI-based content searches to generated special effects in film production and support in news production.

Across all age groups, Germans show hesitancy about the use of AI, although younger people (aged 14–18) show more openness to AI in news creation (36%) than in film production (33%).

“This result shows how important it is to continuously strengthen users’ media and technology skills,” Pastowski added. “Media companies should also always provide transparent information about the use of AI.” Read the full report here.