England is really nice in some ways – Afternoon Tea, Big Ben, the Royals … But television there cannot keep up with ours. It’s not that easy to understand British English … 
That’s why many German users in the UK ask us how they can watch German TV in UK because unfortunately, it doesn’t work easily. The good news is: We have the answer to the question of how to watch German TV in the UK!
Geographic barriers block German TV in UK
Many people think that for streaming German TV abroad you just have to go to the online media library, choose the program and you’re done. But: far from it, because the Internet services of TV stations are bound by copyright obligations and agreements. They are only allowed to show their programs in German-speaking countries. So if you want to stream ZDF, ARD etc. in England you will be blocked by the stations.
How do the TV stations recognize your location?
Very simple: When you are on the internet, your IP address is communicated. Every website sees it and can make a comparison to find out your location. As soon as the website, or the TV media library, recognizes that you are not in Germany at all, it blocks you – and that’s it to watch German TV in UK.
The solution: a different IP address with a VPN
Fortunately, you do not have to accept this geographic blocking. As there usually I there is also a solution to this problem. Namely a VPN! A VPN conceals your real identity and encrypts all your data. Concerning watching German TV in UK, this helps like this: VPN providers offer servers in different countries you can connect to. You “take over” the IP address of the selected server instead of your real IP address. To make the German media libraries believe that you are authorized to watch German TV in UK, you only must connect to a German VPN server. Done!
Which VPN should you choose?
When choosing your VPN, you need to make sure that it offers the right servers, has adequate apps for your devices and also delivers good results in terms of speed. Good news ware, we have already done the work for you – below you can find the best providers for streaming in a practical overview.
The best VPN for Streaming
| Streaming TV and video content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| VPN service name | NordVPN | VyprVPN | Surfshark VPN |
| Use on the home router | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Use with KODI | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| SmartDNS | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| FireTV App | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Avoid warnings | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Supported streaming platforms | NetflixAmazon VideoDAZNSkyEurosportMaxdomezattooWaipuARDZDFBRN24MDRrbbWDRArte3SatPro7Sat1Kabel1Disney+ (DE)MagentaTV (DE)ORFSRFServus TV | NetflixAmazon VideoDAZNSkyEurosportMaxdomezattooN24MDRrbbWDRArte3SatDisney+ (DE)SRFServus TV | NetflixAmazon VideoDAZNEurosportMaxdomezattooJOYNARDZDFBRN24MDRrbbWDRArte3SatPro7Sat1Kabel1Disney+ (DE)ORFSRFServus TV |
| VPN service name | NordVPN | VyprVPN | Surfshark VPN |
| Available protocols | IKEv2Multi-Hop-VPNOpenVPN (TCP)OpenVPN (UDP)SSL/ProxyWireGuard | IKEv2L2TP/IPSecOpenVPN (TCP)OpenVPN (UDP)Own protocolPPTPSSL/ProxyWireGuard | IKEv2L2TP/IPSecMulti-Hop-VPNOpenVPN (TCP)OpenVPN (UDP)ShadowsocksSOCKS5SSL/ProxyWireGuard |
| Own apps | AndroidApple iOSASUSWRTChrome extensionDD-WRTFire TVFirefox extensionKODI Add-onLinuxMac OS XOpenVPN UDPOpenWrtother OS/integrationTomatoWindows | AndroidApple iOSASUSWRTBlackberryDD-WRTFire TVFirefox extensionKODI Add-onLinuxMac OS XOpenVPN UDPOpenWrtother OS/integrationTomatoWindows | AndroidApple iOSASUSWRTChrome extensionDD-WRTFire TVFirefox extensionKODI Add-onLinuxMac OS XOpenVPN UDPOpenWrtother OS/integrationTomatoWindows |
| KillSwitch function | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Interface language | EnglishFrenchGermanSpanishSwedish | EnglishFrenchGermanRussianSpanish | EnglishFrenchGermanItalienischniederlaendischRussianSpanishSwedish |
| Prices / Tarifs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| VPN service name | NordVPN | VyprVPN | Surfshark VPN |
| Free using | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Tariff (1 Month ) | 10.59 EUR | 13 EUR | 11.36 EUR |
| Tariff (6 Months ) | ✘ | ✘ | 34.15 EUR (per month 5.69 EUR) |
| Tariff (12 Months ) | 52.27 EUR (per month 4.36 EUR) | 86 EUR (per month 7.17 EUR) | ✘ |
| Tariff (24 Months ) | 78.85 EUR (per month 3.29 EUR) | ✘ | ✘ |
| Tariff (26 Months ) | ✘ | ✘ | 52.41 EUR (per month 2.02 EUR) |
| Number of connections per account | 6 | 5 | unlimited |
| Test options | Money back guarantee | Money back guarantee | Money back guarantee |
Is it illegal to avoid geographical restrictions for German TV in UK?
Nowadays, many users are already very sensitive when it comes to streaming. There are actually some services that are no longer legal – think of streaming services like kinoger, streamkiste or kinox. But bypassing the geographical barriers to watch German TV in UK is not an illegal act. Why is that? The TV stations have agreements with the authors of their content and are obliged to ensure that only users in the respective country or region can watch the program. Because of all the licenses etc. also differ from country to country. If the program can still be watched – e. g. with the help of a VPN or because of a technical error – then the TV stations have not been able to keep to their agreement. So de facto you have done nothing wrong.
Tipp: How to watch German TV in the UK with zattoo
Connecting to a German VPN server for German TV in the UK is a very good option. But there’s also a second one: The Swiss video portal zattoo is the equivalent of a normal TV provider that offers you a variety of TV channels online. For example SAT 1, ZDF, Pro Sieben, RTL, VOX etc. However, zattoo is limited to users from Switzerland. What to do? Exactly – here, too, the method applies: Change your IP address with a suitable VPN server.
With a Swiss IP address, you can watch German TV in UK with zattoo
This means that you connect to a Swiss server to watch German TV in the UK with zattoo. How this works exactly, we explain step by step in the following instructions (in German). Attention: You have to be connected to a Swiss VPN server when you register, otherwise it won’t work!
Whichever option you choose: We hope you enjoy watching German TV in UK. Have fun 😊
Erstellt am: 03/27/2020
