Ströer presents updated Momentum Map for the German media landscape

Ströer publishes a comprehensive update of its “Crossroads” trend atlas, which offers decision-makers in the German media and communications industry strategic guidance in a rapidly changing digital landscape. The framework for the analysis is based on the Crossroads Trend Atlas 2023 and the Crossroads Trend Atlas 2021.

Key findings of the “Crossroads – Emerging Futures” Momentum Map 2026

The new analysis identifies five macro trends as decisive coordinates for the future of the media industry. These developments are parallel and reinforce each other: AI empowerment establishes artificial intelligence as an indispensable co-pilot, while smart commerce & media drives the convergence of commerce and media. At the same time, Phygital Worlds are bringing digital and physical realities together, hyper-individualization is enabling radical personalization, and Trusted Ecosystems are making trust the new currency in the digital space.

New media reality requires strategic navigation

The year 2025 marked a turning point in the media landscape. Content is increasingly being created automatically, personalized, and distributed in real time. This speed sets new standards, while attention becomes the scarcest resource. Today's users expect quality, transparency, and context sensitivity as a basic standard, not as an optional extra.

Practical implementation aids

Ströer's Momentum Map offers different approaches for different needs: Deep dives into each macro trend for an overview, compact trend maps for direct application, and in-depth analyses of dynamic micro trends in the German market. Particularly innovative is the “What if...?” question wall with forty provocative questions that invite readers to question routines and think through new scenarios.

“This dynamic requires more than a short-term response. It requires strategic navigation in a media reality that is constantly reinventing itself,” explains Christian von den Brincken, Managing Director of Corporate Strategy & Innovation at Ströer. “Our Momentum Map 2026 serves as a practical compass for decision-makers who want to operate successfully in this complex environment.”

Interactive approach for sustainable impact

Ströer sees Crossroads as a living project that benefits from continuous exchange with the industry. The company invites participants to workshops and joint projects to put trends into practice and develop new prototypes. This collaborative approach underscores the belief that the future does not just happen but must be actively shaped.

The Momentum Map from “Crossroads - Emerging Futures” is available as a free download and is aimed at all players in the German media and communications industry who are looking for strategic orientation in the new digital reality.