Germany

There is a wide selection of Free-To-Air German channels available on Astra 19.2° East and a few are also available on Eutelsat Hot Bird 13° East.
While there are a number of HD channels available for free, mainly from ARD and ZDF, most HD channels are part of the HD+ package.
That said virtually all standard definition channels, and there are many, remain Free-To-Air (FTA). There are even some channels which are behind the pay wall in the UK, available for free to German viewers, these include Eurosport Deutschland, Disney Channel, Nickleodeon and Comedy Central, of course all in German with no English soundtrack available.

German television reception becomes more difficult the farther away geographically you are from Germany and Europe. However, the Internet is playing an ever increasing role in the distribution of TV and radio programmes around the globe. An Internet option may therefore be the only option for those living outside of Europe.
In most areas of Europe, satellite reception offers the best and cheapest option for watching German TV or listening to the many free German radio stations.

Please remember that this guide is intended for viewers outside of Germany, far more options are available for those inside the country.

German PSB Channels

Das Erste Das Erste (“The First”), or Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen (“First German Television”), is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany. It is a joint production of Germany’s regional public broadcasters acting through, and coordinated by, the ARD consortium. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East & in SD on Eutelsat Hotbird at 13° East. Live stream: www.daserste.de/live/ (Germany only) Live stream: Schöner Fernsehen (Worldwide) Website: www.daserste.de

EinsFestival Einsfestival is a digital television channel from the German broadcaster ARD. EinsFestival programming includes documentaries, magazine programmes, films and music (rock and classical). Most of the programmes have already been broadcast by other public stations that belong to ARD. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Live stream: EinsFestival on FilmOn (Worldwide) Website: www.einsfestival.de

EinsPlus EinsPlus is a channel from the German broadcaster ARD and managed by ARD regional broadcaster SWR. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Live stream: EinsPlus on FilmOn (Worldwide) Website: www.einsplus.de

tagesschau24 tagesschau24 is news channel produced by the German broadcaster ARD and managed by the Hamburg-based ARD regional broadcaster NDR. tagesschau24 is ARD’s news channel and competes with N24 and n-tv. Besides news, tagesschau24 also broadcasts culture, sports and science programmes. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Live stream: www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/livestreams/ Live stream: Schöner Fernsehen (Worldwide) Live stream: tagesschau24 on FilmOn (Worldwide) Website: www.tagesschau.de

ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen) Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, usually shortened to ZDF, is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all federal states of Germany (Bundesländer). ZDF is financed by television licence fees and advertising revenues. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East & in SD on Eutelsat Hotbird at 13° East. Live stream: www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/#/beitrag/livevideo/1822600/Das-ZDF-im-Livestream Live stream: Schöner Fernsehen (Worldwide) Live stream:  ZDF on FilmOn Website: www.zdf.de

ZDFneo ZDFneo is a television channel, aimed at an audience aged 18 to 45 to counter the primarily older-skewing main channels of public broadcasters ZDF and ARD. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Live stream: Schöner Fernsehen (Worldwide) Live stream: ZDFNeo on FilmOn Website: www.zdfneo.de

ZDFinfo ZDFinfo is a digital TV channel from ZDF. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Live stream: Schöner Fernsehen (Worldwide) Live stream: ZDFinfo on FilmOn Website: www.zdfinfo.de

ZDFkultur ZDFkultur is a TV channel run by ZDF. It mainly broadcasts music shows, such as Later… with Jools Holland, pop concerts and series from the ZDF archive, though also movies and plays. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Live stream: Schöner Fernsehen (Worldwide) Live stream: ZDFkultur on FilmOn Website: www.zdfkultur.de

KIKA Der Kinderkanal KiKA (Der KinderKAnal von ARD und ZDF) is a free, public, non-commercial television channel based in Erfurt, Germany. KiKA is a joint venture of the national public television channels of ARD and of ARD’s constituent broadcasters: BR, HR, MDR, NDR, Radio Bremen, RBB, Saarländischer Rundfunk, SWR, WDR, and ZDF. KiKA broadcasts a mixture of live-action and animated features from 6:00 a.m. CET until 9:00 p.m. CET. Its intended audience is children and youth, and it is generally watched by children 3 to 13. The channel also repeats shows, such as Tabaluga tivi from ZDF’s main service. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Live stream: Schöner Fernsehen (Worldwide) Live stream: KIKA on FilmOn Website: www.kika.de

Arte Arte (Association relative à la télévision européenne) is a Franco-German TV network, a European channel, that promotes programming in the areas of culture and the arts. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping, Arte GEIE, plus two member companies acting as editorial and programme production centres, Arte France in Paris (France) and Arte Deutschland in Baden-Baden (Germany). As an international joint venture (an EEIG), its programmes cater technically to audiences from both France and Germany. This implies double-titling, opposite-language subtitling, dubbing, hosts who speak both languages alternately, and two separate audio tracks Three-quarters of ARTE’s programming are provided in equal proportion by the two member companies Arte France and Arte Deutschland while the remainder is being provided by Arte GEIE and the channel’s European partners. Some VOD content is available with English subtitles through the Arte website. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East & in SD on Eutelsat Hotbird at 13° East. Live stream: Schöner Fernsehen (Worldwide) Website: www.arte.tv

3sat 3sat is a public, advertising-free, television network in Central Europe. The programming is in German (in either Standard German or Austrian Standard German, depending on the producer of the programme) and is aimed primarily at audiences in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (the major countries of the German-speaking world). 3sat was established to broadcast cultural programmes, originally by satellite. The network was founded as a cooperative network by Germany’s ZDF, Austria’s ORF and Switzerland’s SRG SSR (formerly SRG SSR idée suisse). 3sat began broadcasting on 1 December 1984. ZDF leads the cooperative, though decisions are reached through consensus of the cooperative’s partners. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Live stream: Schöner Fernsehen (Worldwide) http://schoener-fernsehen.com/live/stream/de/3SAT/ Website: www.3sat.de

Phoenix Phoenix is a publicly funded television station in Germany which is produced jointly by public broadcasting organizations ARD and ZDF. It broadcasts documentaries, news, special events coverage and discussion programmes. Phoenix’s headquarters are in Bonn. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Live stream: Schöner Fernsehen (Worldwide) Live stream: Phoenix on FilmOn Website: www.phoenix.de

DW TV DW-TV is an international channel provided by Deutsche Welle. The channel concentrate on news and information, the channel is produced in Berlin. DW TV Reception Information DW (TV) operates five channels: DW: Broadcast in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania (24 hours in English). DW (Arabia): Broadcast in the Middle East and North Africa (24 hours in Arabic). DW (Latinoamérica): Broadcast in Latin America (24 hours in Spanish). DW (Amerika): Broadcast in the Americas (20 hours in German, 4 hours in English). DW (Asien): Broadcast in Asia (24 hours in German). Live stream: http://www.dw.com/en/media-center/live-tv/s-100825 Website: http://www.dw.com

Regional Channels

Bayerisches Fernsehen Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting, BR) is public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD consortium of public broadcasters in Germany. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Website: www.br.de

HR Fernsehen HR Fernsehen is the public TV channel for the German state (Bundesland) of Hesse, the main offices of hr are in Frankfurt am Main. hr is a member of the ARD. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Website: www.hr-online.de

MDR Fernsehen Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (Central German Broadcasting, MDR) is the public broadcaster for the federal states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Established in January 1991, it has its headquarters in Leipzig and regional studios in Dresden, Erfurt and Magdeburg. MDR is a member of the ARD consortium of public broadcasters in Germany. MDR broadcasts its own television channel to the three states it serves and also contributes programming to the first German TV channel (Das Erste), as well as broadcasting a number of radio channels. Website: www.mdr.de

NDR Fernsehen NDR Fernsehen is a regional television channel targeting northern Germany, specifically the states of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hamburg and Bremen. It is broadcast by both Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) and Radio Bremen, although NDR provides most of the output as they are many times bigger than Radio Bremen. It is one of seven regional “third programmes” offered by the ARD members. Live stream: http://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/livestream217.html Website: www.ndr.de

Radio Bremen TV Radio Bremen TV, Germany’s smallest public television broadcaster, is the legally mandated broadcaster for the city-state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (which includes Bremerhaven). With its headquarters sited in Bremen, Radio Bremen is a member of the consortium of German public broadcasting organizations, ARD. Website: www.radiobremen.de

RBB Fernsehen rbb Fernsehen – Berlin and Brandenburg’s regional public-broadcasting TV channel (successor to the former SFB 1 and ORB TV channels). Between 19.30 and 20.00, the channel transmits separate regional news programmes for Berlin (“Abendschau”) and Brandenburg (“Brandenburg aktuell”) Website: www.rbb-online.de

SR Fernsehen Saarländischer Fernsehen is a public television broadcaster serving the federated state of Saarland. With headquarters in the Halberg Broadcasting House in Saarbrücken, SR is a member of the ARD consortium of German public-broadcasting organizations. Website: www.sr.de

SWR Fernsehen SWR Fernsehen is a German regional television channel targeting the states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is produced by Südwestrundfunk (SWR) and is one of eight regional “third channels” broadcast by the ARD members. Website: www.swrfernsehen.de

WDR Fernsehen WDR Fernsehen is a regional public service television channel owned and operated by Westdeutscher Rundfunk and serving North Rhine-Westphalia. It is one of the seven regional “third programmes” that are offered within the federal ARD network. Live stream: http://www1.wdr.de/mediathek/video/livestream/ Website: www1.wdr.de

Private Channels

RTL Group www.rtlgroup.com

RTL Television RTL is a German commercial television station based in Cologne (Köln). In terms of market share, it is Germany’s largest private free-to-air broadcaster. It is the primary channel of the RTL Group’s German television stations, which also include RTL II, Super RTL, VOX, n-tv and RTL Nitro. RTL broadcasts many US imports all dubbed in German. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East, HD version is encrypted and available through HD+. Live stream: None known Website: www.rtl.de

VOX VOX is a German television channel, headquartered in Cologne and part of the RTL Group, Europe’s second largest TV, radio, and production company. The channel mainly broadcasts documentaries and US series and movies. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East, HD version is encrypted and available through HD+. Live stream: None known Website: www.vox.de

RTL II RTL II is a commercial, privately owned, general-interest German television channel, it is part of the RTL Group. Programming includes daily episodes of the local Big Brother in access prime-time, and a prime-time lineup consisting mostly of “docu-soaps”, movies and licensed series such as 24 and Stargate SG-1. Recent efforts to move further towards quality programming with science magazines and documentaries have met with an indifferent audience response. US imports are all dubbed in German. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East, HD version is encrypted and available through HD+. Website: www.rtl2.de

Super RTL Super RTL is a Cologne-based German television network operated by RTL Disney Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG. It was the first German television channel aimed mostly at children. Super RTL was launched in 1995 as a 50/50% joint venture between RTL Group and The Walt Disney Company. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East, HD version is encrypted and available through HD+. Website: www.superrtl.de

RTL Nitro RTL Nitro is a German television channel owned by the RTL Group. It is available via cable, satellite and IPTV. It is available free to air. The slogan of RTL Nitro is „Fernsehen für Helden“ (television for heroes). It describes itself as a “premium entertainment channel” (“Premium-Unterhaltungssender”) for a widespread audience. It is mainly targeted to males in the age of 20 to 59. The program contains many old German and American series and films, though also first runs of some American series like Modern Family, Nurse Jackie or Chase. All imports are dubbed in German. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East, HD version is encrypted and available through HD+. Website: www.rtlnitro.de

n-tv n-tv is a German television news channel owned by the Bertelsmann AG Media’s RTL Group and an affiliate network of CNN since the networks creation in 1992. n-tv screens news and weather every hour and half-hour in the morning; in between, it broadcasts informational programmes and advertising. Correspondents report live from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ and the New York Mercantile Exchange. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East, HD version is encrypted and available through HD+. Website: www.n-tv.de

ProSiebenSat.1 Media Website: www.prosiebensat1.com

Sat.1 Sat.1 is a privately owned German television broadcasting station. Sat.1 was the first privately owned television broadcasting station in Germany. Sat.1 is part of the ProSiebenSat.1 Media Group. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East, HD version is encrypted and available through HD+. Live stream: http://schoener-fernsehen.com/live/stream/de/SAT1/ (Worldwide) Website: www.sat1.de

Sat.1 Gold Sat.1 Gold is a free-to-air television channel aimed at female viewers, aged 49 to 65. It is part of ProSiebenSat.1 Media. The channel broadcasts many German TV productions, mostly from the ProSiebenSat.1 archives. Programmes in the evening consists of documentaries, movies, thrillers and series. Live stream: http://schoener-fernsehen.com/live/stream/de/SAT1GOLD/ Website: http://www.sat1gold.de

ProSieben ProSieben is a commercial television station in Germany. There are three different variants of the channel: ProSieben (for Germany), ProSieben Austria (for Austria) and ProSieben Schweiz (for Switzerland). The main difference is that they have different adverts and news for each target country. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East, HD version is encrypted and available through HD+. Live stream: http://schoener-fernsehen.com/live/stream/de/PRO7/ Website: www.prosieben.de

ProSieben Maxx ProSieben Maxx is a free-to-air channel owned by ProSiebenSat.1. The channel principally broadcasts program for male viewers aged between 30 and 59. Some programming such as Homeland and House of Cards are shown in the original English-language version with German subtitles. ProSieben Maxx also broadcasts some films which are mostly shown on Thursdays. These films are repeated a few hours later and not in the original version but German-dubbed. Live stream: http://schoener-fernsehen.com/live/stream/de/PRO7MAXX/ Website: http://www.prosiebenmaxx.de

sixx sixx is a commercial television station specialised for women. The channel is distributed via cable, satellite, terrestrial and IPTV. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East, HD version is encrypted and available through HD+. Live stream: http://schoener-fernsehen.com/live/stream/de/SIXX/ Website: www.sixx.de

kabel eins kabel eins is a commercial television channel, it  is largely known for showing classic American films as well as series and documentaries. It is considered to be the little sister channel of ProSieben. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East, HD version is encrypted and available through HD+. Live stream: http://schoener-fernsehen.com/live/stream/de/KABEL%201/ Website: www.kabeleins.de

Viacom

Viva VIVA is a free-to-air German-language music television channel, first broadcast on 1 December 1993. A consortium of broadcasters and record companies led by Time Warner, Sony Television, PolyGram Records and EMI Music, though not the German-based Bertelsmann Music Group. MTV operates German language VIVA channels in Austria and Germany. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Website: www.viva.tv

Comedy Central Comedy Central Germany is a German-speaking equivalent to Comedy Central. It broadcasts many American and British imports as well as original programming. Since 15 December 2008 Comedy Central Germany has ceased broadcasting 24 hours a day and is now time-sharing with Nickelodeon Germany, running from 20:15 (CET) to 05:45 (CET). There are also versions available for Austria and Switzerland. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Website: www.comedycentral.tv

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (Nickelodeon Deutschland) , is a television channel for children in Germany, part of the international Nickelodeon franchise. Launched on 2005, Nickelodeon Germany is based in Berlin. There are also Austrian and Swiss versions of the channake available free-to-air. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Website: www.nick.de

Other Channels

DMAX DMAX is a men’s lifestyle channel operated by Discovery Networks CEEMEA free-to-air in Germany, Austria, Switzerland. The United Kingdom and Italy have their own version of the channel. It is also widely available throughout the rest of Europe. It is seen as the only free-to-air mainstream channel with a focus on non-fiction entertainment, unique in German media. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Website: http://www.dmax.de

N24 N24 is a television news channel and website based in Germany and owned by WeltN24 GmbH. It also provides regular news updates to ProSiebenSat.1 Media properties like Pro Sieben and kabel eins. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East, HD version is encrypted and available through HD+. Website: www.n24.de

SPORT1 Sport1 is a privately owned commercial German television channel. Until April 11, 2010, it was called DSF (Deutsches Sportfernsehen) SPORT1 has its headquarters in Ismaning near Munich. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Website: www.sport1.de

Tele 5 Tele 5 is a commercial television channel in Germany. The channel is largely known for showing classic American films and series and Japanese anime. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, in SD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East, HD version is encrypted and available through HD+. Website: www.tele5.de

Disney Channel Disney Channel is a German language television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company (Germany) GmbH, subsidiary of Disney Channels Worldwide, which itself is a unit of Disney-ABC Television Group that manages all of The Walt Disney Company’s Disney and ABC-branded television properties. The channel is based in Munich. Aimed mainly for all ages, its programming consists of original first-run television series, theatrically-released and original made-for-cable movies and select other third-party programming. The original programming is mainly brought by the American flagship Disney Channel. Website: http://disneychannel.de

ANIXE ANIXE is an owner-run business, a rarity among German free TV broadcasters. ANIXE HD was the first free-to-air HD channel in Germany. The channel has a balanced mix of content including films, television classics and documentaries, viewer can switch safely at all times. An Austrian version of the channel is also available. The channel is available free-to-air on satellite, both in SD and HD on Astra 1 at 19.2° East. Live stream: http://www.anixehd.tv/stream/index.php (SopCast required) Website: www.anixehd.tv

Astra 1 at 19.2° East Reception of German TV and radio in the UK is relatively easy, as the UK is within the official SES satellite footprints for the satellites used by German channels. Dish sizes for most of the UK and Ireland will be between 60-80 cm depending on your location, the further west and north you are the larger the dish required for reliable reception. Remember that that the vast majority of German channels are on the Astra 1 group of satellites co-located at 19.2° east, UK domestic channels use the Astra 2 group at 28.2° east. So either an extra LNB will be required on you current dish, or a dedicated dish for 19.2° east, the better option.
Eutelsat Hotbird at 13° East This satellite position would not be your first option if you are living in the UK, there are only a few German channels available on Hotbird, Das Erste, ZDF, Arte and Deutsche Welle. These transmissions are actually aimed at viewers outside of Germany and are broadcast on a much wider beam covering