You can download MediathekView here or use the MediathekViewWeb version directly in your browser on Alternative Ways To Watch German Television Onlineīesides going to the media libraries of the stations directly, there are a handful of services that aim to provide easy access to German TV from the browser or mobile devices: Zattoo ( Android, iOS), Wilmaa, Teleboy all offer free plans, but before you get too excited: many of them are only available to the Swiss public (don’t ask …), so again, without a good VPN the chances of actually getting the streams to work is very slim. So, if you need something to watch on that next transatlantic flight, you can fill your devices with tons of German TV shows and movies, totally free, totally legal. Luckily, there’s MediathekView, a small free program that allows you to search through the big Mediatheks and download the source files so you can watch them whenever you want. How to Download German TV Shows and Movies For FreeĪs great as the Mediathek offering of public broadcasters may be, many of the programs are only online for a limited time, so if you don’t stream them in the right time-window, they won’t be available anymore. If you don’t want to experiment with VPNs, you can always just browse the Mediathek links above and pick one of the recorded programs that works in your area. Feel free to share in the comments below what worked for you. You can also try accessing some of these streams with Hola, or any other free VPN solution. For example, I’ve found that by using unblock-us I managed to get access to the ZDF live streams while abroad (and some but not all ARD and ARTE programs). What to do? You could try to use a VPN (virtual private network) connection that will allow you to circumvent some of these restrictions. While much of the on-demand content in these media libraries is available internationally, unfortunately some of the live streams are geo-restricted, which means that many watchers abroad will be left out in the cold. As for the commercial channels, the only Mediathek that I’ve tested so far is N24, and it’s not half bad, especially if you’re interested in documentaries, news and politics. The ARD has an excellent media library which you can access via (also available as Android and iOS app). By clicking on the LIVE link you can watch the ARD stream and various sub-channels directly in your browser.Īlso in the ZDF Mediathek, which comes with an Android and iOS app as well, there’s a link to the ZDF main live stream and its three sub-channels.Īnother great Mediathek with live streaming option is the one by Arte, a Franco-German TV network, which you can find on (or as Android and iOS app). Wonderful Media Libraries, Limited Access Now that we’ve learned a bit about the German TV landscape, the obvious question is: how and where to watch? Sure, if you live in German you can just turn on the TV, but many German learners are living abroad, so let’s take a look where and how you can access German TV streams online. How To Watch German TV On Your Laptop Or Mobile Device Well-known German private channels are RTL, Sat 1, Pro 7, Kabel Eins, Viva, VOX, N24 and many others.įor a complete list of German television channels (both public and private), see here. Whereas the public service broadcasters mostly focus on qualitative journalism, nature documentaries and other family-friendly programming, commercial broadcasters take care of the rest: dubbed blockbuster movies and TV series, cartoons, dubious talk shows, and a host of Spartensender (special-interest stations). (Hint: The R always stands for Rundfunk, the German word for broadcast, so you get West deutscher Rundfunk, Süd west rundfunk, Nord deutscher Rundfunk, etc.) 2. See the map for a quick overview of the regional channels. Due to the non-commercial nature of these channels, you’ll find little to no advertising and a programming schedule which aims to share meaningful content instead of just whatever gets the most eyeballs. All German public service broadcasts are funded through license fees paid by German viewers. In addition to these, there are a variety of local or regional channels. There are two big national German TV stations: ARD and ZDF. Img via Wikipedia / license: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Germany
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |