The German advertising market is facing another year of stagnation in 2026

Hamburg, 2 December 2025 – The German advertising market is expected to close 2025 with a slight decline and will not achieve much growth in 2026 either. As stated by the JOM Group in its new forecast, the market turned out to be significantly less robust in the current year than was predicted at the end of 2024. Alongside the repeated downward revisions to expectations for overall economic growth and the consumer climate, advertising companies were noticeably less willing to invest. Issues such as customs policies and the crisis in the automotive industry once again illustrate how sensitive the market is in reacting to external disrupting factors.

The JOM Group anticipates continued uncertainty from companies with regards to economic recovery and rising private consumer spending for 2026. Against this backdrop, the forecast expects advertising expenditure to remain virtually static. If the economic situation improves as forecast, the advertising market could achieve a slight increase of around 0.5% and thus reach a volume of just over EUR 28 billion.

The structural change towards a digital media landscape that has been in progress for years now will continue in 2026. The shift of budgets from linear TV to digital moving image platforms is particularly dynamic in the way it is developing. Providers such as YouTube, Amazon, Netflix and media libraries such as RTL+ or Joyn are now an integral part of the big screens in living rooms and are attracting a steadily growing share of advertising investment.