German Media Landscape

Having grown in a country made up of many different federal states, since its unification more than 130 years ago, Germany has had a long, continuous tradition of diverse media. The sheer number of businesses and productions currently operating in the German media industry is vast. With the dawn of digital technology, the German media landscape has rapidly been increasing in complexity, and is in a state of constant transformation, as the German population experiences an ever increasing diversity of sources and outlets for their media consumption.

What does the German media landscape currently look like and how is it changed, if at all, by the emergence of new digital platforms? What are the dominant trends, which new forms of media have been emerging, and how have established media organizations been responding to the changes brought about by new digital technologies?

History of Media in Germany

German media can generally be traced back to the late 19th century and as such, has been shaped and influenced by a long history of political struggles, technological changes, and cultural trends. Before 1945, for example, media outlets were mainly either German-owned, or in the hands of private Americans, such as the military, who were stationed in Germany.

After the war, the media landscape changed drastically. In 1948, the four Allied powers - the US, France, Britain, and the Soviet Union - took significant control of media organizations in their respective occupation zones, and asserted their own cultures in their respective areas. This meant that media organizations were largely guided by the values and conventions of the occupying powers.

In the 1970s, West German publishers began to re-gain control over the media industry, ultimately leading to an extension of their influence into the East German media. This led to the gradual will to reunification of the two Germanys, which eventually happened in 1989. The reunification led to an increase in media organizations, as the new German market for media organizations grew and matured.

Since then, the German media landscape has been continuously undergoing changes and transformations, as traditional media organizations have been challenged by expensive investments and the introduction of new digital platforms and technologies.

Current German Media Landscape

The current German media landscape is extremely vast, particularly owing to the emergence of new forms of digital media. This can be seen in the media spend in the German advertising market, which, in 2019, totaled 18.32 billion euros. This growth in media is largely driven by the rise of mobile, audio and social media, as well as pay-TV.

In addition, print media is still very much a driver of revenue and audience engagement in Germany. Newspaper and magazine publishing saw an increase in revenue of 1% to 8.27 billion euros in 2019, with an estimated 94.2% of the eyes of German citizens reading.

Furthermore, the German TV market saw a revenue increase to 6 billion euros in 2019, driven mainly by continued investments in digital terrestrial and cable TV. The digital terrestrial landscape is particularly vibrant, as pay-TV stations have seen a revenue increase of 5.8% to 3.53 billion euros.

There are also a decent number of radio stations active in the country. This can be attributed to the fact that radio networks in Germany generally have a strong reputation of delivering reliable news updates, given that the radio has long been a staple in German media culture.

Finally, digital media has seen a remarkable increase in audience engagement. In 2018, it was estimated that 1 in every 5 German citizens accesses some form of online media at least once a day. This is mainly attributed to an increasing number of mobile and social media platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Impact of Digital Media

The scope of digital media within the German media landscape is constantly growing, as traditional media organizations invest heavily in digital initiatives and new digital platforms, services and channels emerge. The scope of digital media can be seen in the increasing amounts of money spent in the German advertising market in recent years.

Digital media has, however, had a more profound impact on traditional German media organizations. These companies have had to navigate a rapidly changing landscape and adapt to accommodate the emergence of new digital technologies and tools. This has not only seen a shift in their traditional offerings, but has also led to a diversification of their revenue bases, as new forms of revenue have been acquired.

The increasing scope of digital media in Germany has also resulted in an increasing number of digital media outlets, including alternative sources, blogs and online forums, which are gaining more and more attention. This has generally democratized the German media landscape, allowing more voices to be heard and alternative interpretations of news and events to be offered.
Chris Dimperl @ Unsplash

Conclusion

The German media landscape is a complex one that has evolved significantly over the last 130 years. The dominance of traditional media organisations has been challenged significantly by the emergence of digital and mobile media, enabling a wide range of new sources, outlets and services to enter the market. This has generally resulted in a democratization of the German media landscape and is likely to continue affecting the landscape for the foreseeable future.
Sebastian Pociecha @ Unsplash