The German market for pay-TV and paid video-on-demand services will continue to grow in 2026, albeit at a significantly slower pace. According to the latest market report „Pay-TV & Paid VoD in Germany 2025/2026“ published by VAUNET, total turnover in 2025 stood at 5.5 billion euros. For 2026, the association expects an increase of 1.3 per cent to 5.6 billion euros.

Subscription video on demand (SVoD) remains the fastest-growing segment. Following revenue of 3.0 billion euros last year, VAUNET forecasts a rise to 3.2 billion euros by 2026, representing an increase of five per cent. At the same time, traditional pay-TV is performing less well.

The number of subscriptions is also continuing to rise. The number of pay-TV subscriptions rose to 15.8 million in 2025 and is expected to reach 16.4 million in 2026. As for video streaming services, the number of subscriptions rose to 25.9 million in 2025; VAUNET forecasts 26.7 million for 2026, representing a three per cent increase.

The association expects transaction-based services to remain largely stable. Revenue from Electronic Sell-Through (EST) stood at 283 million euros in 2025, whilst Transactional Video-on-Demand (TVoD) reached 192 million euros. A slight increase in revenue is expected for TVoD in 2026.

The market report takes into account the subscription revenue of national and international providers and platforms in Germany; advertising revenue is not included. VAUNET Managing Director Frank Giersberg described the willingness to pay for pay-TV and video streaming services as remaining high, despite the challenging economic climate.