There is one figure in the new video usage study that tells advertisers more than any reach record: 7 percent. That is how few people find personalised advertising annoying. For comparison, more than every second person is bothered by classic TV advertising. The real lesson for 2026 sits in exactly that gap.
The Screens in Motion study (9th edition, TV Spielfilm Plus, part of Burda) was conducted by YouGov in March 2026 among around 2,000 people aged 16 and over and is representative of the German online population. It shows two things at once: people have never watched more video. And it has never been harder for an ad to truly get through.
Reach is not the same as attention
Germans watch 4 hours and 33 minutes of video per day, according to the study, a new high and 18 minutes more than the previous year. Among those under 29 it is even 4 hours and 53 minutes. You might assume that so much usage automatically means more ad contacts. The study shows the opposite: more screen time does not mean more attention for advertising.
That is because usage spreads across ever more channels. Linear TV remains the most-used channel at 65 percent monthly usage, but keeps losing ground among the under-30s, where it stands at just 43 percent. Streaming subscriptions reach 60 percent, public broadcaster media libraries 43 percent, YouTube 41 percent and social media 38 percent. The video market is fragmenting, and reach fragments with it.
Above all, how attentively people actually watch differs. Linear TV reaches 65 percent attentive usage according to the study, while social media comes last at 55 percent, because video there usually runs on the side while scrolling. Attention is not a given; it depends heavily on the environment. How this usage has shifted over the past few years is shown in the article Media Usage 2025 vs. 2024.
The most important figure in the study: 7 percent
Back to the beginning. The study asked which ad formats are perceived as annoying. High ad frequency, long ad breaks and non-skippable spots score particularly badly, each named by around 30 percent. Advertising on linear TV is seen as annoying by 51 percent. Ad-supported streaming already does better; with Disney+ and Netflix with ads, about a third are bothered in each case.
And then this one figure: only 7 percent find personalised, relevant advertising annoying. That is by far the lowest value in the entire survey. The study lead, Marion Sperlich, concludes that relevance is the decisive factor for ad acceptance.
For you as an advertiser, that is the real message. It is not about reaching as many people as often as possible. It is about reaching the right people with a relevant message. Those who spread wide and impersonally create exactly the ad fatigue the study measures for linear TV. Those who deliver relevance are barely perceived as annoying anymore.
The second screen is already in play
Another finding fits the picture: two thirds of respondents regularly use a second device alongside the TV, rising to 84 percent among the under-30s. For advertising that first sounds like a risk, as more than a third reach for their smartphone during ad breaks.
But there is also an opportunity in it. Among 30 to 49 year olds, 20 percent use the second screen to search specifically for products or brands from the advertising. A relevant message on the big screen can therefore trigger a search on the smartphone directly, provided it is relevant enough to spark interest in the first place. Here too it is relevance that decides, not sheer reach.
What this means for you as an advertiser
The old logic of buying reach and hoping for spillover no longer fits a fragmented, attention-sensitive market. The study suggests a different order: relevance first, then reach. And that is exactly the strength of targeted streaming advertising on the big screen.
With a platform like onescreen you reach your audience not with a watering-can approach but precisely by region and postal code, age, gender and interests. Your advertising runs on the big screen, in the most attentive of all video environments, and it is relevant because it fits the people who see it. Why the big screen generates so much more attention than the feed is shown in the comparison of the media quality of streaming and social. How precisely streaming can be targeted regionally is shown in the article on regional targeting in streaming TV.
One important point: relevance does not mean following people across the web. With streaming you target by attributes and regions, not through an invasive personal profile. Relevance and data protection are not mutually exclusive.
Conclusion
The 2026 video study confirms what has been emerging for years: reach is plentiful, but on its own it no longer delivers ad impact. The scarce resource is attention, and the key to it is relevance. For small and medium-sized businesses that is good news, because targeted streaming advertising makes exactly that possible, without a million-euro budget and without wastage.
Want to know how to reach your audience relevantly and on the big screen? Book a free demo, we will show you the possibilities in 30 minutes. Or get started directly in the Ad Manager.
FAQ
How much video do Germans watch in 2026? According to the Screens in Motion study (TV Spielfilm Plus, YouGov, March 2026) it is 4 hours and 33 minutes per day, a new high. Among the under-29s usage is even higher at 4 hours and 53 minutes.
Why is reach no longer enough as an advertising goal? Because usage spreads across many channels and actual attention differs sharply. Linear TV reaches 65 percent attentive usage according to the study, social media only 55 percent. What matters is not how many people are theoretically reached, but how relevant and attentive the contact is.
Which advertising is least annoying? Personalised, relevant advertising. Only 7 percent of respondents find it annoying, while advertising on linear TV is named as annoying by 51 percent. Relevance is therefore the most important lever for ad acceptance.
How do I reach relevant audiences as a small business? Through targeted streaming advertising. With a self-service platform like onescreen you target by region, age, gender and interests and reach your audience relevantly on the big screen, instead of spreading wide.