ARD-ZDF Study: Germans' Media Habits Shift in 2025
The latest ARD-ZDF study, conducted in 2025, reveals shifts in media consumption habits among Germans aged 14 and above. While some platforms show growth, others experience a decline in daily reach and usage time.
Moving image media remains dominant, with 89.1 percent daily reach, up from 85.9 percent in 2024. However, linear TV's usage time has decreased to 117 minutes, despite its daily reach increasing to 58.7 percent. Streaming services' daily reach has dipped slightly to 25.0 percent, with usage time down to 33 minutes. YouTube, on the other hand, has seen an increase in daily reach to 23.8 percent, with usage up to 23 minutes per day. Videos and stories in social media also show growth, reaching 22.0 percent daily.
In the audio realm, podcasts' daily reach has risen to 11.7 percent, with listening duration up to 9 minutes. Media libraries' daily reach has increased to 12.2 percent, with usage time up to 10 minutes. Linear radio's daily reach has decreased to 61.6 percent, but usage time remains high at 112 minutes. Overall, the daily usage time for all moving image media is now 196 minutes, and for all audio genres, it's 157 minutes.
The study, conducted by ARD, ZDF, Deutschlandradio, the Leibniz Institute for Media Research, and the Research Institute for Social Cohesion, surveyed 1,351 people from March to April 2025.
In summary, while moving image media continues to dominate, there's a noticeable shift in usage patterns. Some platforms like YouTube and podcasts show growth, while others like linear TV and streaming services experience a decline in usage time. The study highlights the evolving media landscape in Germany.
