During the raging corona pandemic, many people in Germany and worldwide increasingly passed the time with video streaming. In recent years, they have also been willing to spend more money overall for services such as Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV. But that has now changed.
“During the corona pandemic, spending on streaming went up, now the trend is going in the opposite direction again,” explains Bitkom CEO Dr. Bernhard Rohleder in a press release. This is the result of a representative survey by the digital association Bitkom among 1,165 people aged 16 and over in Germany. Although the data collected does not prove whether inflation also plays a role, the assumption is at least reasonable. Many consumers are currently having to pay more attention to their spending due to inflation. This is possibly reflected in the costs that Germans are willing to pay. Overall, the decrease in spending on streaming services compared to the previous year corresponds to an average of around 14 percent.
59.4 million people over the age of 16 in Germany – and thus around 86 percent – use at least one service via the Internet. According to the survey, this also includes free offers – including content on video and streaming portals such as YouTube or Twitch, videos via social media such as Facebook, TikTok or Instagram as well as productions of the TV stations that can be accessed with a time delay and the current program, for example via the media libraries. 46.3 million people (67 percent) spend money on a paid audio or video streaming service.
In order to be able to watch series hits like “The Mandalorian”, “Beef” or “The White Lotus” and blockbusters, users of paid services currently pay an average of 15.70 euros per month. About a year ago it was 17.90 euros. This means that the monthly expenses even fall below the pre-corona level, which was 16.40 euros in 2019.
People between the ages of 30 and 49 pay the most at 17.10 euros on average. The 16 to 29 year olds are 15.80 euros and the over 65 year olds are only 15.10 euros. There are also differences between men and women – the men are 16.10 euros, the women on average 15.30 euros. For films and series rented digitally, which can only be watched to a limited extent, at EUR 12.80 less money goes to the providers than in the previous year (EUR 13.50).
Germans also spend less on audio streaming like Spotify or Deezer than on video streaming. Here it is currently an average of 11.00 euros per month. In 2022 it was therefore still 13.10 euros. The oldest user group spends the most on paid audio streaming – those over 65 invest 12.70 euros. The 30- to 49-year-olds pay the least money for audio streams, at EUR 10.60.
