Germany’s silent powerhouse

Despite a market where one in three citizens listens regularly and the 60+ demographic is just as engaged as Gen Z, German publishing houses have been hesitant to embrace the medium, citing high costs and unclear monetization. However, as the digital landscape shifts toward AI-generated content and immersive audio, this "wait-and-see" approach may be a costly strategic error. The following commentary by Daniel Lenz explores the massive "cross-audio" opportunities publishers are overlooking and why, in the age of branding, a podcast is no longer a luxury—it’s a survival tool.

In international rankings, Germany is now rarely found at the very top, whether in the economy as a whole or specifically in the media industry. Traditional companies and world-class ‘unicorn’ start-ups: They exist, of course — but they're rare. This makes success stories like this all the more important. Germany is a podcast nation like no other. To mark its 20th anniversary, Spotify recently published its first-ever global ranking of the most-streamed podcasts since the company was founded in 2006.

• As many as five of the global top 20 podcasts come from Germany. For instance, among the most-streamed podcasts of all time, right after #1 “The Joe Rogan Experience”, comes “Gemischtes Hack” by Felix Lobrecht and Tommi Schmitt (“Fest & Flauschig” with Jan Böhmermann and Olli Schulz at #7, “Mordlust” at #17, followed by “Baywatch Berlin” at #18 and #19).

• For Spotify, Germany is the second-largest podcast market in the world; it was here in 2015 that the streaming service was first encouraged to include podcasts in its portfolio.

Even beyond Spotify, the latest figures for the German podcast market in 2026 (according to the RMS Podcast Study 2026) are impressive:

• One in three Germans listens to podcasts regularly.

• 53 per cent are female listeners, 46 per cent are male.

• Almost a quarter of all podcast users listen to podcasts at least once a day, 45 per cent at least once a week and a significant 33 per cent at least once a month.

• At 21 per cent, the 60+ demographic listens to almost as many podcasts as the 20–29 and 30–39 age groups, each at 20 per cent.

And yes, there are also some high-reach podcasts about books. For instance, WDR’s (German public-broadcasting institution) ‘Zwei Seiten’ ranks at number 5 among the most-listened-to podcasts on Spotify in the ‘Arts’ category, NDR’s ‘eatReadSleep’ at number 11, and a podcast about ‘Harry Potter’ at number 18; other titles in the top 50 are produced by mostly younger listeners.

It comes as no surprise that hardly any book publishers feature in the top 50. Since the invention of the podcast medium, German publishers have been very cautious in their approach to it. There are certainly exceptions: foremost among them “Dora Heldt trifft – der dtv Buch-Podcast”, “Die Bücher unserer Zukunft” with publishers Annika Bach and Anne Friebel at the microphones, “Long Story Short”, powered by Penguin Random House, or the “Hanser Rauschen” podcast, which is unfortunately produced only sporadically. Otherwise, there are few examples of publishers in this country.

This is in stark contrast to the Anglo-American region, where publishers such as Hachette, Macmillan, HarperCollins and Penguin Books are very active in producing podcasts – “The Penguin Podcast” / "Ask Penguin“ is regarded as the flagship among publishing podcasts.

And in the academic sector, too, there are a few standout audio initiatives, such as the “New Books Network”, in which a consortium of university presses (Oxford, Harvard, Yale, etc.) provides extensive coverage of new publications.

Argon Verlag in Germany has recently largely ceased its once-ambitious podcast activities. The company in Berlin is not commenting publicly on the causes, but the reasons are known from many conversations with publishing staff and can be boiled down to “too expensive” and “no monetisation”. This is both true and misleading.

There are two ways to make money from podcasts: through subscription models and sponsorship. In one case, the community supports or enables the podcaster’s work through subscriptions. Examples include the widely listened-to podcast “Lage der Nation” or specialist podcasts such as “Bits und so” – mostly micro-enterprises with an appealing indie vibe. In the other case, companies book adverts or host reads (adverts delivered by the podcaster themselves) in programmes – particularly those with a wide reach – that fit their own brand. Neither scenario suits publishing podcasts well, as they generally lack both the indie feel and the necessary reach.

The more elaborate the podcast production (video podcasts, which are more labour-intensive to produce, are currently in vogue), the more difficult it becomes to recoup costs. The numbers simply don’t add up; such publisher podcasts do not pay for themselves, and at least in the short term, they generate very little revenue. If such a podcast project fails for these reasons, it is due to a fundamentally flawed approach from the outset.

With Spotify’s expansion of its premium subscription to include audiobooks, the audiobook market has received a massive boost; thus, not only on Audible (as the pioneer of the digital audiobook), but also on Spotify (alongside Apple, the pioneer of digital music distribution), publishers’ products are just a click away from the next podcast. This can be seen as a disadvantage – particularly in the non-fiction sector, where podcasts are now stealing publishers’ thunder – but it can also be turned into an advantage. For with the right podcast offerings, publishers can succeed in

• reaching male target groups too, who are difficult or impossible to reach with books, but who remain at the forefront when it comes to podcasts;

• to tap into young target groups who, apart from the New Adult trend, are otherwise out of reach for publishers.

And ‘reach’ in the context of podcasts means benefiting from generally higher levels of attention, because: podcasts reach people at moments that are particularly valuable for communication: on the move, in the car, or with even greater focus via headphones. This is why awareness campaigns via podcasts work extremely well. New offerings or brands can be “conveyed” very effectively and easily via podcasts, ideally with regular repeats (whereas offers designed to convert, such as “10 per cent off with voucher code xy”, fail in most cases).

For publishers in particular, this advantage of podcasts is worth its weight in gold, as branding is more important to them than ever. Publishers have accumulated deficits in this area over decades, for various reasons – a situation that is coming back to haunt them in the AI era (keyword: market saturation with AI-generated content) and in the intensified battle for media users’ attention (a series is arguably more appealing than a book).

What applies to book publishers in general applies to audiobook publishers in particular, as it is far easier for them to promote themselves and their own productions via an audio channel. Recent technological developments, such as immersive audio formats, open up additional creative possibilities for presenting brands and content in a more intense and nuanced way.

Audiobook publishers in particular, who are also active in the podcast medium, can thus exploit ‘cross-audio opportunities’, as outlined in the RMS Podcast Study 2026: ‘Podcast consumption does not take place in isolation. Many listeners naturally use various audio offerings. For brands, this presents an opportunity to orchestrate messages across multiple channels and build recognition. Podcasts complement other audio offerings effectively and expand reach to include attention-grabbing usage scenarios.”

Returning to the topic of monetisation: given the huge branding opportunity, the focus should not be on immediate financial return. From the very first episode, a podcast generates positive branding momentum. This should be the primary objective: to position one’s own publishing house more strongly within the ever-growing audio segment. Alongside this branding effect, over the years – successfully establishing podcasts always requires patience – additional momentum will inevitably emerge, which will then also pay off and win over the finance department: For in the medium term, it succeeds in generating so much attention for one’s own brand and offering that this translates into stronger sales and greater brand loyalty. When ‘The Penguin Podcast’ interviews Barack Obama, book sales naturally pick up, much like a Netflix adaptation significantly boosts sales of the underlying book or audiobook. By then at the latest, the argument that “it can’t be monetised” no longer holds water.

Finally, a few ideas regarding content that emerge when comparing German publishing podcasts with their Anglo-American counterparts.

• Audiobook samples: In the US and UK, there is a clear trend towards serialisation. Instead of just talking about the book, podcasts are often used as a gateway drug: for example, podcast episodes might consist of the first third of a new audiobook.

• Behind the Scenes: There are often mini-series that focus solely on the creation of a single bestseller (e.g. a 7-part podcast dedicated solely to a new book by Stephen King). This is exclusive content that only a publisher can produce — and no independent podcaster can replicate. Authors with strong community ties — think romance — are well placed to build reach quickly.

Germany has already proven it can produce some of the world's most-listened-to podcasts. The creative talent, the audience, and the infrastructure are all in place. What is missing is the willingness of publishers to claim their natural role in this ecosystem — as curators, storytellers, and brand builders. The window is still open. But in a media landscape moving at the speed of AI, it won't stay open forever.

Daniel Lenz has been with DIGITAL PUBLISHING REPORT since 2017; as editor-in-chief, he oversees content channels such as the Channel and dpr magazin. Prior to this, the trained journalist was head of product development and deputy editor-in-chief at buchreport (Harenberg Kommunikation, formerly part of the SPIEGEL Group), and worked for many years for companies such as the Handelsblatt Publishing Group.

Daniel is a podcaster himself, with the IGNITE! Publishing podcast and the adventure podcast Outside is free.