Research: Annual losses of €2.4bn from illegal streaming in Germany
May 29, 2026
Illegal live TV streaming in Germany continues to rise. In 2025, it caused total economic losses of approximately €2.4 billion in the country. Compared to the previous study in 2022, this represents a 33 per cent increase – despite technical safeguards, legal proceedings and public awareness campaigns.
As a result, the government loses approximately €542 million in taxes and social security contributions annually – an increase of nearly 40 per cent compared to 2022. The direct economic loss suffered by media companies amounts to approximately €1.5 billion, with additional losses arising throughout the wider value chain.
In 2025, approximately 7.7 million people in Germany illegally accessed linear TV streams. Illegal viewing is most prevalent among 16- to 33-year-olds. For nearly three-quarters of respondents, this is the most convenient way to watch linear TV. The study also shows that the willingness to use legal services increases when illegal alternatives aren’t available. These are the findings of a research study conducted by Goldmedia, just published by VAUNET, the German Media Association.
Frank Giersberg, Managing Director at VAUNET, commented: “The figures show that TV piracy remains a widespread phenomenon that causes significant harm to media providers, media diversity and the public purse. There is therefore an urgent need for more effective measures to curb illegal TV viewing in the long term and thus protect media diversity.”
VAUNET is consequently calling for:
Clearer and faster takedown obligations: Platforms and hosting services should be required to remove illegal content within a very short timeframe.
More effective, dynamic blocking measures: Access providers should be able to quickly and flexibly block illegal livestreams and alternative services during live transmissions.
Clearer legal accountability: Rights holders must be able to take action against illegal services more quickly without first having to go through the time-consuming process of identifying the perpetrators, who usually operate anonymously.
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