Inflation has not impacted subscriptions to streaming services in Germany in the way some commentators had anticipated.
The annual Zattoo TV Streaming Report finds most German Internet users have not reduced the number of subscriptions they hold, though around 20% have switched to a cheaper or free offer.
The Internet remains on course to remain the most widely used TV reception channel in 2023. 41% of the Internet users surveyed also use the Internet to receive TV, including both IPTV offers and TV streaming apps. 44% of respondents say they watch content from TV streaming services.
“This year, we are seeing a big increase in live TV usage. This confirms once again that linear television remains highly relevant,” says Jörg Meyer, Chief Commercial Officer at Zattoo. “No type of TV reception has grown so much in recent years as the Internet. This development comes at the expense of traditional reception channels: satellite TV continues to decline and cable TV has been stagnating for years.”
The report is based on a survey conducted annually by Kantar on behalf of Zattoo since 2015. This year, 1,000 German Internet users between the ages of 16 and 69 were surveyed.
To date, around one in seven Internet users in Germany (14%) has cancelled a streaming subscription due to the Cost of Living. The report also shows that, with a view to inflation, 10% have switched to at least one cheaper streaming offer, and another 9% have switched to a free offer.
TV reception via cable also remains at the 2022 level at 39%. The trend towards television over the Internet is particularly noticeable with satellite reception. This year, that comes in at just 35%, a loss of four percentage points compared to the previous year.
It’s a similar story in Switzerland where more people are using the Internet for their TV reception. Live TV usage is ahead of the use of video-on-demand offerings and worries about high inflation rates has had less impact on streaming subscriptions than expected.
In Austria, while the vast majority of internet users in Austria have not reduced their number of subscriptions this year, 17% have switched to a cheaper or free offer.