Germany’s pay-TV and paid streaming market remained at record level in 2025, with total revenues of €5.5 billion, according to figures presented by VAUNET.
The industry association expects the market to grow by 1.3% to €5.6 billion in 2026, driven primarily by subscription streaming.
Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) generated €3 billion in revenue last year, making it the largest growth segment. VAUNET forecasts a further 5% increase to €3.2 billion in 2026.
The number of pay-TV subscriptions increased from 15.2 million in 2024 to 15.8 million in 2025 and is expected to reach 16.4 million this year. Paid streaming subscriptions rose from 25.4 million to 25.9 million and are forecast to reach 26.7 million in 2026.
The figures are contained in VAUNET’s Pay-TV & Paid VOD in Germany 2025/2026 market report, which covers revenues from paid services offered by both German and international providers and platforms. Advertising revenues are excluded.
At the press conference, the prospects for cooperation between German streaming providers also emerged as an issue. While industry executives stressed the importance of local partnerships to strengthen the position of German players against the major US streaming platforms, the German market remains fragmented.
The two largest commercial broadcasters have so far kept their streaming ecosystems largely separate. ProSiebenSat.1’s channels are not available on RTL+, while RTL’s channels are not offered on ProSiebenSat.1’s Joyn.
Asked by Broadband TV News whether the two companies were therefore standing in their own way, Nicole Agudo Berbel, Managing Director and Chief Distribution & Partnerships Officer at ProSiebenSat.1, pointed to the recent acquisition of Sky Deutschland by RTL Deutschland.
“The ProSiebenSat.1 channels are already available on Sky Stream,” Agudo Berbel said. “We are in discussions, but these things take time.” Henning Nieslony, Executive Vice President Streaming at RTL Deutschland, confirmed that talks between the companies are taking place.
The acquisition of Sky by RTL could provide an opening for the two major commercial broadcasters to make their channels available on each other’s streaming platforms, potentially ending a long-standing deadlock. Sky Stream, where ProSiebenSat.1 channels are already available, could become a door-opener for further cooperation.
Source: https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2026/09/14/german-pay-tv-and-streaming-revenues-hit-record-e5-5bn/
