Instead: streaming

One in four people have given up traditional television

Linear television is a discontinued model for many people: they prefer to stream.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

According to a survey, one in four people in Germany has said goodbye to traditional television. This is the result of the "Screens in Motion" study conducted by Burda Verlag. 

When asked whether they turn on linear TV at least once a month, only 72% answered yes this year. In 2023, it was still 80 percent.

"That's huge and, above all, there has now been another short-term drop of eight percentage points," explained Marion Sperlich, the person responsible for the Screens in Motion study, in Berlin. The study is representative of the population aged 14 and over with online access in Germany.

However, screen consumption itself is still quite high. 84% of respondents stated in the survey that they use streaming, media libraries and/or pay TV services.

"Astonishing shift"
The market researchers noticed an "astonishing shift" in the answers as to where people find out about current topics such as politics, the economy and world events, said Sperlich. "Public TV channels are the main source of information on current events for all respondents (...). However, this has fallen sharply, from 56% to 46% in just two years. Another important source - sharing information with family and friends - is also in decline. But if we look at the age groups again, the results are massively different."

According to the expert, who works as Head of Research Market Media Insights at Burda Verlag, public TV channels are the main source for respondents aged 50 and over, accounting for 65%. "Among the very young up to the age of 29, the figure is 25 percent. They turn to social media much more frequently for the latest information. This includes Facebook, but also Instagram and Tiktok. When it comes to the use of moving images on Facebook, older people are now more frequently represented than the very young, who are actually more likely to be on Instagram, Tiktok or Pinterest."