Advertising revenue of the audio and audiovisual media on the road to recovery in Germany

The television sector looks set to record a small increase in turnover of 1 per cent to €4.38 billion while revenue in the radio sector will likely remain stable at around €707 million. Despite the recovery of the industry as a whole, turnover in TV advertising will still remain slightly below 2019, with advertising revenue in radio significantly below this benchmark. The overall positive development is mainly driven by revenue in streaming services, with double-digit growth expected again this year.

Claus Grewenig, Chairman of the Management Board at VAUNET: “Despite all the imponderables, we’re generally optimistic about the current development of the advertising market. Commercial broadcasters make a considerable contribution to safeguarding democracy and diversity, and are largely refinanced by advertising. Refinancing freedom – i.e. the rejection of further restrictions on advertising – is thus vital if the pluralism of commercial media in Germany is to be safeguarded.”

Frank Giersberg, Managing Director at VAUNET: “People are spending more time than ever using audiovisual media. Accordingly, advertising in audiovisual media is also becoming increasingly important for advertisers. And it makes a hugely important contribution to restarting the economy after the crisis. This applies to radio and television advertising as well as – albeit at a lower level – to video and audio streaming advertising.“

Advertising revenues in 2021 in Germany

In 2021, TV advertising enjoyed 8.2 per cent growth in revenue, while radio advertising declined by 0.9 per cent. Streaming advertising revenues soared by 29.2 per cent for audio and 29.8 per cent for video. In particular, the strong growth in streaming meant that in 2021, the second year of the pandemic, advertising revenues in the audiovisual media as a whole exceeded the pre-crisis level, rising by 10.7 per cent on the previous year to reach €6.28 billion.