ARD news, Sat.1 series and Bundesliga weekends next to the channels of the country you live in, all on one login.
German IPTV lets you watch live German television over the internet from any country. TVPikoma includes ARD, ZDF, RTL, ProSieben and Sat.1, plus Sky DE and DAZN DE for sport and films. These sit in the Europe group, next to smaller packages for Austria and Switzerland, among 25,000+ live channels from 60+ countries.
This page is for Germans abroad, Austrian and Swiss families, and anyone learning the language. It covers the channels, the Bundesliga, household licence fees, time zones, devices and prices. Plans start at $15 a month, and the 24-hour free trial lets you check the picture on your own connection first.
The German package mixes the public broadcasters, the big private networks and the pay channels that carry live football. Here is what each one is known for.
| Channel | Type | Why viewers tune in |
|---|---|---|
| ARD (Das Erste) | Public broadcaster | Tagesschau at 8 p.m., Tatort on Sunday evenings, Sportschau |
| ZDF | Public broadcaster | heute news, crime series, major sports events |
| RTL | Private network | News, reality formats, entertainment shows |
| ProSieben | Private network | US series, films, entertainment |
| Sat.1 | Private network | Series, films, daytime shows |
| Sky DE | Pay TV | Bundesliga, films and series |
| DAZN DE | Sports service | Football and other live sport |
Austria and Switzerland appear as smaller country packages in the Europe group. Their exact channels change more often, so search the TVPikoma channel list for the one you need, or ask on WhatsApp before ordering. The same goes for regional channels from individual German states.
The Bundesliga season runs from August to May, with a short winter break around the new year. Matches usually fall on Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and evening, and Sunday. In Germany, live rights are split between pay broadcasters, currently including Sky and DAZN, while ARD's Sportschau shows Saturday highlights.
Rights can shift when a new contract cycle starts, and fixtures are shown on different channels in different countries. The official Bundesliga website publishes the fixture list. The TVPikoma sports guide shows which channels carry each league in the current list.
DFB-Pokal nights and national team matches follow the same pattern. Where a game is produced in 4K, you will find it next to the HD feed, and our 4K IPTV page explains what your TV needs.
Living abroad changes what you miss. For many Germans it is not the big shows but the small rituals: the Tagesschau at eight, a Sunday crime drama, a quiz show the whole family argues about.
German IPTV brings those back without a satellite dish on a rented balcony. It also helps mixed households. A German parent and a Canadian parent can each keep their own evening news, while the children hear both languages every day.
Children abroad often understand German but answer in English, Spanish or French. Regular German TV helps close that gap. A Saturday family film, the football on Sunday or a quiz show before dinner keeps the language part of normal life rather than a school subject.
A 2 or 3 screen plan helps here. The children can watch in German on a tablet while a parent follows local news on the main TV.
Because every plan also carries the channels of the country you live in, one login covers both lives. The worldwide IPTV overview lists every country group, and German retirees on the Spanish coast can add local news from our Spanish IPTV page.
$ 15 25 35 49 / 1 month
about $15.00 per month about $25.00 per month about $35.00 per month about $49.00 per month
$ 29 49 65 99 / 3 months
about $9.67 per month about $16.33 per month about $21.67 per month about $33.00 per month
$ 45 75 99 149 / 6 months
about $7.50 per month about $12.50 per month about $16.50 per month about $24.83 per month
$ 69 119 159 239 / 12 months
about $5.75 per month about $9.92 per month about $13.25 per month about $19.92 per month
Every plan includes all 25,000+ channels from 60+ countries, the 120,000+-title on-demand library and 4K wherever broadcasters provide it. No contract, no automatic renewal, and a 7-day money-back guarantee. Prices are shown in USD.
Live television is one of the most useful tools for a German learner. You hear real accents, current vocabulary and the speed people actually talk at. The trick is choosing programmes that match your level.
Some broadcasts carry subtitle tracks and some players can show them, but live streams do not always include one. For structured lessons, Germany's international broadcaster offers free courses at DW Learn German. Pair those with an hour of live TV a day.
An IPTV subscription does not replace any national licence fee. The rules depend on where you live, not on where the channel comes from.
Separately, IPTV technology is legal, while unlicensed redistribution is not. Broadcaster apps often block some programmes abroad because rights are sold country by country. Our article on whether IPTV is legal explains the difference. None of this is legal advice.
Setup takes a few minutes on most devices. Install a player, enter the login from your WhatsApp chat, then pin the German channels to your favourites.
German channels broadcast on Central European Time. Set your device time zone first, then check the player EPG offset against the Tagesschau. If the 8 p.m. news shows at the right local hour, every other programme will too. The full IPTV setup hub covers other devices.
TVPikoma plans are priced in US dollars, and the payment options for your country are sent in the WhatsApp chat. Here is the cost by plan length and screen count.
| Plan length | 1 screen | 2 screens | 3 screens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $15 | $25 | $35 |
| 3 months | $29 | $49 | $65 |
| 6 months | $45 | $75 | $99 |
| 12 months | $69 | $119 | $159 |
Every plan includes the German package, the Austrian and Swiss packages, all sport, the 120,000+ on-demand library and the channels of the country you live in. There is no contract, nothing renews automatically and the 7-day money-back guarantee applies. Read our IPTV cost breakdown for context, or go straight to the pricing page.
The best test is a busy evening. Start the free trial on a Saturday, open ARD for the Sportschau and switch to a Sky DE channel. Then try the Tagesschau at 8 p.m. German time. If all three play smoothly on your connection, a longer plan is a safe choice.
Swiss and Belgian households that switch between German and French can also look at the French IPTV channels.
Start the 24-hour trial, open the German group and check ARD and ZDF on your own TV. No card is needed.
Yes. ARD and ZDF are in the German package of the TVPikoma channel list, alongside RTL, ProSieben, Sat.1, Sky DE and DAZN DE. They stream live over your internet connection in any country. Line-ups can change as rights shift, so the channel list page is the current reference.
In Germany, live Bundesliga rights are split between pay broadcasters, currently including Sky and DAZN, and both Sky DE and DAZN DE are in the list. Other countries have their own rights holders, some of which also appear in the sports groups. The sports page shows where the league sits right now.
If you live in Germany, yes. The Rundfunkbeitrag is charged per household, whatever device or service you use to watch, and an IPTV subscription does not replace it. If you live outside Germany, the German fee does not apply, although your own country may have its own licence rules.
Austria and Switzerland appear as smaller country packages in the Europe group of the channel list, and every plan includes them. The exact channels in those packages change more often than the main German networks. Search the channel list for the channel you want, or ask support on WhatsApp, before you order.
Yes, it gives learners hours of real spoken German every day. Start with news and weather, move to dubbed films you already know, then try crime dramas and talk shows. Combine live TV with a structured course, such as the free lessons from Deutsche Welle, for faster progress.
German channels broadcast on Central European Time, and your player converts the guide using your device clock. Set the correct time zone on the device, then compare the 8 p.m. Tagesschau with the guide. If it matches, every other listing is right. Check again in the weeks when clocks change.
