A few years ago, watching TV meant switching on at a fixed time and seeing whatever happened to be running. Today, most of it works differently. We pick what we want to watch and when we want to watch it, and increasingly it reaches the TV over the internet instead of cable, satellite, or an antenna. Streaming has moved from the exception to the norm.
This article gives an overview: what streaming actually means, how much it has changed media usage in Germany, and what this shift means for businesses that want to reach people.
What streaming means
Streaming means playing video or audio content directly over the internet without downloading it. For video, two types can be distinguished. On demand means content is available anytime, so shows and movies you start whenever you want, for example on Netflix, Prime Video, or broadcasters' on-demand libraries (in German, "Mediatheken"). Live streaming, on the other hand, transmits an ongoing program in real time, for example news, shows, or sports. How these offerings are financed differs widely, from ad-free subscriptions to free, ad-supported channels, an overview is provided in the article AVOD, SVOD, FAST and BVOD explained.
The line is increasingly blurring. Traditional broadcasters have long offered their programs as streams and in media libraries too, while streaming services are adding their own live content. For the viewer, both simply become television, just over the internet.
The shift in numbers
Several recent studies with concrete figures show how deep this shift really is.
According to a survey by the digital industry association Bitkom, 87 percent of people aged 16 and over now use streaming, while 86 percent still watch classic television via cable, satellite, or antenna. Streaming is ahead for the first time. The gap is narrow, but the direction is clear.
How far some viewers have already moved away from linear television is shown by the Statista Consumer Insights: 22 percent of respondents no longer watch classic, linearly broadcast TV at all. At the same time, broadcasters' media libraries have become a mass phenomenon. 72 percent of 14 to 69 year olds use them at least occasionally, up from just 40 percent in 2015.
How much time is behind this is shown by the Media Activity Guide from Seven.One Media, a TV sales house: people in Germany watch around five hours of video content per day. Of that, about 203 minutes per day go to television including media libraries, and around 30 minutes to YouTube. Measured against total video consumption, classic television remains the largest single block.
And streaming is moving to the big screen. According to analyses by the RTL Ad Alliance, also a TV sales house, based on AGF video research, more than 75 percent of streaming usage now happens on the television, not on the phone.
Why linear TV isn't disappearing anyway
Despite all this change, it would be wrong to write off classic television. It remains a heavyweight. The ARD/ZDF media study shows a stable daily reach of 98 percent for overall media use, with an average usage of around six and a half hours per day. Linear television and radio remain among the highest-reach media of all within it.
Bitkom puts it plainly: on demand is enormously popular, but linear television is not a dying model. Rather, the offerings are merging. Broadcasters are building media libraries and streams, streaming services are building linear and ad-supported channels. What used to be separate worlds is growing into one shared video landscape that people use sometimes live, sometimes on demand.
How viewing habits have changed
Behind the numbers is a change in behavior. Three developments stand out.
The big screen stays central. Even when people stream, it mostly doesn't happen on the phone but on the smart TV in the living room. The big screen has remained the most important device for streaming.
Usage is becoming more flexible. Many people subscribe to a service specifically for one show or a sports event, then cancel again. Fixed loyalty to a single provider is becoming rarer, switching more normal. Whether the subscription model or ad-supported reach pays off better for providers in the end is explored in the article Subscription or advertising.
Choice is becoming the challenge. As the number of services grows, so does the confusion. Finding your way around and picking the right service becomes the real task for viewers, while the technology itself is barely a hurdle anymore.
One detail that surprises many: according to Statista, the most popular streaming service in Germany is not Netflix, but Amazon Prime Video.
What the shift means for businesses
For businesses that want to advertise, this development is good news. Wherever attention moves, new ways to reach people follow. Ad-supported streaming combines the impact of television, the big screen, full sight, sound, and motion, the high-quality environment, with the precision of digital targeting.
In concrete terms: advertising on the TV screen can now be targeted precisely at the right audience, by region and interest, measurably and predictably. And because it runs through self-service platforms, this channel is no longer reserved for big brands only, which also shows in the entry-level prices, see How much does TV advertising cost?. What this looks like in detail is shown in the article on the Premium Quality of Streaming Advertising.
Conclusion
Streaming has grown from a niche phenomenon into the mainstream and has become, for many people, the natural way to watch movies, shows, and increasingly live content too. Classic television isn't disappearing in the process, it is merging with streaming into one shared video landscape. For businesses, this creates one of the most interesting advertising opportunities of recent years: the reach of television, combined with digital precision, and accessible even for smaller budgets.
Want to know how to reach your audience through streaming? Book a demo, and we'll show you the possibilities in 30 minutes. Or get started directly in the Ad Manager.
FAQ
What does streaming mean? Streaming means playing video or audio content directly over the internet without downloading it. For video, there is on demand (content available anytime) and live streaming (an ongoing program in real time).
Do people in Germany watch more streaming or more classic TV? According to a Bitkom survey, 87 percent of people aged 16 and over use streaming, and 86 percent watch classic television. Streaming is ahead for the first time, and the trend is clear, especially among younger audiences.
Is classic television disappearing? No. Linear television remains one of the highest-reach media types according to the ARD/ZDF media study. Classic TV and streaming are increasingly merging: broadcasters offer media libraries, streaming services offer linear and ad-supported channels.
What device do people stream on? Mostly the smart TV in the living room. Despite smartphones and tablets, the big screen has remained the most important device for streaming.
Can you advertise on streaming? Yes. Ad-supported streaming lets you target advertising precisely at the right audience, on the big screen, measurably and predictably. Self-service platforms make this accessible to smaller and mid-sized budgets too.