Digitisation in Germany: Facts and Figures
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1 Digitisation in Germany: Facts and Figures 2 Current Findings on Digital Television Transmission and Video Consumption in Germany September 2020 Dr. Simon Berghofer The Corona pandemic makes this year a special one: this report, however, must be viewed against the The extraordinary situation which impacts all walks background of the pandemic. A large number of per- of life, indeed the entire society, quite naturally also sons still worked from home during the field period, exerts its effects on the current survey regarding the schools and kindergartens in many regions were still annual report on digitisation of video consumption. closed, and strict rules for social distancing and hy- The survey was conducted among a representative giene continued to apply. In other words: Everyday cross-section of the population during the months of life was entirely dominated by the pandemic, and May and June – at that time, the very strict restric- naturally, it also left its mark on the consumption tions applying for social contacts and leaving your of media. Media usage normally follows set routi- home in Germany had already been eased again, nes and habits; they were suspended. Furthermore, but everyday life for most people during the field people experienced a greater need for information period had still not returned to “normal”. The ex- and entertainment than ever before. The data of ceptional situation is also mirrored in some of the the current survey clearly reflect this scenario: Con- findings established during the current survey. The sumption of moving image content – and especially results detailed in the first part of this article on the “traditional” television consumption – could gain distribution of television transmission infrastructu- considerable ground. This is strong indication of the res and television sets and other devices available in fact how important the offers provided by the televi- households as a tendency show few to no “Corona sion services remain for everyone – and all the more effects” as could be expected. The developments of so when it really matters. video consumption described in the second part of Part I: Devices and Infrastructure The number of television households, i.e. homes 38.5 million homes own a TV set; this corresponds where at least 1 television set can be found, conti- to the level of last year. Looking at the total number nues to maintain its persistently high level. Around of households in Germany, just under 95 percent 3 Current Findings on Digital Television Transmission and Video Consumption in Germany In average every TV-Household owns Fig. 1 1,6 TV sets Five-year trend in TV households (in percent) 2016 96.7 3.3 2017 96.6 3.4 2018 96.2 3.8 2019 95.4 4.6 2020 94.7 5.3 Number of TV households Households without a TV set Basis: 39.372 / 39.672 / 40.219 / 40.350 / 40.684 million households in Germany (n = 8,281) continue to keep a TV set at their disposal; this con- 44 percent of German television households; com- stitutes only a minor reduction compared to last pared to last year the rate has gone down by 1 per- year. Looking at the tendency over 5 years, however, centage point. the decline in the relative number of households with a TV set is 2 percentage points. With the switchover of terrestrial television reception to DTT T-2 HD completed, terrestrial The majority of German television households has reception has settled at 6 percent of German 1 television set at home; this corresponds to around television households over the last 3 years; before 60 percent of TV households in Germany. Four out that time, it had struggled with a downwards move of ten households have 2 sets (28 percent) or 3 sets for several years. However, in 2020 terrestrial recep- (12 percent). The trend of the last 5 years reveals tion picked up again slightly over the year before a slight increase of multiple-set households; it and now stands at a good 2.4 million households comes to approx. 2 percentage points, taking the in Germany which watch television via DTT T-2 HD. average availability of receivers per household to 1.57 sets per household. The increase was particularly pronounced for TV households receiving their television diet via IP- based networks. This applies both as regards the Reception infrastructures: IP-based TV transmission of the IPTV signal in “closed” net- transmission continues to expand works which are operated, for instance, by Tele- The largest section of German TV households still kom, Vodafone or 1&1, but also by a number of receives television signals via cable or satellite. Sa- regional providers, as well as for the so-called tellite reception at just under 17 million households “open” networks. Close on 11 percent of German narrowly tops cable households (16.8 million). Both TV households receive their television signals via modes of transmission therefore each cover approx. 4 Current Findings on Digital Television Transmission and Video Consumption in Germany Fig.2 Distribution of transmission routes Cable 45.9 45.9 45.1 44.7 43.6 Satellite 46.5 45.7 45.0 44.8 44.1 Terrestrial 9,0 7.4 6.4 6.0 6.3 0 % 30 % 60% IPTV (managed) IPTV (OTT-only) 6.2 0 6.9 0 7.9 0.5 8.6 1.7 10.6 2.9 0 % 15 % 30 % 0 % 15 % 30 % 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Total > 100 percent due to multiple types of reception; Basis: 38.076 / 38.306 / 38.697 / 38.491 / 38.520 million television households in Germany (n = 7,786) IPTV. The rate has gone up by 2 percentage points Cord-cutting at the TV set tops compared to 2019 and now stands at 4.1 million 1 million households households. The number of households receiving television ser- vices via so-called “open” IP networks has grown to more than 1.1 million. These homes do not connect 5 Current Findings on Digital Television Transmission and Video Consumption in Germany the television receiver to a traditional mode of re- man television households have by now done away ception such as cable, satellite, terrestrial or IPTV, completely with traditional television reception but connect exclusively to the internet. Television and consume their entire TV diet via the internet. content is then consumed resorting to apps ins- talled on streaming sticks or the user interface of the smart TV set. Such functionalities are available More than eight out of ten television from internet-based television platforms including households own at least one HDTV receiver Zattoo or waipu.tv, but are also offered by traditi- The completion of the digitisation of television onal platform providers including Vodafone or Te- transmission infrastructures last year provided the lekom that market their programme packages as pre-condition for households being in a position so-called OTT offers. And the television broadcas- to receive TV services in HD quality – high image ters are also active in this field by offering various resolution requires digital transmission. Viewers products. Both the media libraries of the public- can now choose from a large variety of television service corporations and the offers of the commer- services available in HD quality, and the majority cial broadcasters including Joyn or TV-Now provide of German households have meanwhile also ac- attractive live television services available directly quired HDTV receivers permitting them to watch on the smart TV set via the world-wide web, along- television in full HD quality. side catch-up and other on-demand services (see also Part II of this article). The number of these so- More than four out of five TV households (84 per- called “cord-cutting” households saw a great up- cent) have at least one HDTV set at their disposal; surge over the last year – almost 3 percent of Ger- this corresponds to an increase by 1.5 percentage points compared to last year. The completion of the switchover of terrestrial transmission to DTT HD now results in all DVB-T2 HD households owning Definition of Cord-Cutting Households receivers for high-resolution television reception. As regards IPTV households, nine out of ten homes The report on digitisation analyses the number (93 percent) feature almost complete provision of cord-cutting television households in several with HDTV receivers as well. In cable households, steps: First, the type of set used is established. a good 84 percent own an HDTV receiver while for Once the various types have been identified, satellite homes, the rate is 81 percent. consumers are asked (with support) for the route of transmission via which they receive An HDTV set at home today represents the stan- a television programme. If none of the four dard supply for most households. In addition, se- transmission infrastructures (satellite, cable, cond and third sets are by now also increasingly DTT or IPTV) is explicitly confirmed, there will being replaced by HDTV receivers. More than a be a further question concerning the form of quarter (27 percent) of television households have television reception for the set. If a viewer sta- 2 (20 percent) or 3 (7 percent) HDTV receivers at tes that the set is exclusively connected to the home. As would be the case, this also pushes up internet, the respective household will be clas- the number of homes using exclusively modern sified as an OTT-only household. high-resolution receivers. A good seven out of ten 6 Current Findings on Digital Television Transmission and Video Consumption in Germany Seven out of ten TV households own Fig. 3 only HDTV sets Development of households equipped with HDTV / UHD receivers 83.9 2020 24.3 80.0 2018 14.1 78.1 2016 3.2 74.8 2014 0 0 % 25 % 50 % 75 % 100 % Households with at least 1 HDTV set Households with UHD receivers Basis: 38.557 / 38.076 / 38.697 / 38.520 million television households in Germany (n = 7,786) (71 percent) television households employ HDTV- households in Germany own at least 1 UHD televi- ready receivers only – this is an increase of 3 per- sion receiver.