Streaming in Germany

Germany has a reputation for being one of the toughest enforcers of copyright infringement, which includes illegal streaming. If you watch movies or TV via illegal streaming or download sites, you risk receiving an Abmahnung in the post, demanding you pay a hefty fine. With so much content now available online, it’s important to make sure you know which are the legal ways to stream movies and TV shows in Germany.

Here's what you need to know about streaming TV shows and movies in Germany. 

Is streaming legal in Germany?

As with so much in Germany, the answer is “Yes, but...” In Germany, streaming films from officially licensed platforms, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, is legal. However, streaming from other online sources that do not have the distribution rights to the content is not legal, even if the content is made available for free.

The reason streaming from some sites in Germany is illegal is due to copyright law. Official platforms have paid money to obtain the legal right to distribute the movies and shows they host within Germany. That’s why it’s okay to stream from these suppliers.

Unofficial websites that host films and series have not paid for those rights, and so streaming or downloading content that they have uploaded is illegal. The law applies to any copyrighted content consumed within Germany, even if the content or the website hosting it is not German. 

The difference between streaming and torrenting

Streaming is when you watch a movie or TV show online, via your web browser or a platform app. You need to remain connected to the internet the whole time that you are watching.

Torrenting is when you download a movie or TV series, and it gets saved to your hard drive. You can then watch it offline. Torrent clients work by using users' files as source files, so once you have torrented a file and it is on your hard drive, the torrent client also allows other users to use your file as a source for their download.

Torrenting any copyrighted material is illegal in Germany and comes with much higher fines than illegal streaming, as you are also facilitating others' copyright infringement.

How do German authorities track illegal steaming?

Germany is a stern enforcer of copyright laws, and anyone caught violating the rules can expect to receive a warning and a fine.

Authorities in Germany use IP addresses to identify households where people have illegally streamed or downloaded copyrighted content. Copyright enforcement agencies investigate websites that provide pirated content and obtain data about the users who have accessed these sites.

Fines for illegal streaming in Germany

If you stream or torrent copyright-protected content - no matter whether the site you're using is based in Germany or abroad - you may find yourself in receipt of a letter from a German copyright enforcement agency or a lawyer that lists your IP address, what you illegally streamed or downloaded, on which date and at what time. They may also demand a settlement fee, a kind of fine. 

Fines for illegal streaming in Germany range from 150 euros to 1.500 euros, depending on the severity of the violation. If you are caught illegally downloading movies and TV shows, you may be fined as much as 900 to 1.500 euros for a single movie. If you continue to break the rules, the consequences can be even more severe, including higher fines and court appearances. 

To avoid any fines for illegally watching TV or films online, make sure you know that the provider has the rights to the content.

How do the fines work?

The fines are generally issued to the bill payer for the IP address that was caught performing the illegal activity. This can mean that if your housemate or a guest uses your internet connection to illegally stream a movie, you will receive the bill for their actions.

However, since 2017, only the person responsible for the action is liable to pay the fine. This means that you can, in theory, dispute the fine, but it isn’t always cheap or easy to do so. You should seek legal advice if you receive a fine you wish to dispute.

Using a VPN in Germany

VPNs are legal in Germany, but what you do with them can still be illegal. Using a VPN can disguise your IP address and your location, giving you access to streaming sites in other countries. However, even if these are legitimate platforms in other countries, if they do not have the right to show their content in Germany, watching their movies and series is still illegal.

For example, for those living in the US, HBO is a licensed platform that legally shows many films and shows. However, they do not have distribution rights in Germany, so using a VPN to access their US site and watch their content within Germany is still illegal.

Streaming and the Rund­funk­bei­trag

If you are streaming legally and paying platforms such as Apple TV or Rakuten to access their content, you might wonder if you still need to pay the German TV tax, or Rund­funk­bei­trag.

All households in Germany must pay the Rundfunkbeitrag, with only a few exceptions, such as if all the tenants are students or are receiving unemployment benefits.

That means that even if you stream all your content legally and do not watch any terrestrial German TV, you still need to pay your TV tax.

Legal streaming sites

The good news is that there are a lot of legal streaming sites in Germany, with hundreds of hours of quality entertainment to keep you occupied. Here are some of the most popular legal sites to stream movies and TV shows in Germany:

• Netflix
• Amazon Prime
• Maxdome
• Disney+
• Sky
• Google Play
• Apple TV
• USTVNow
• WOW
• Rakuten TV
• Magenta TV

The following streaming platforms are run by public broadcasters and free to use in Germany for anyone who pays the Rundfunkbeitrag:

• ARD Mediathek
• ZDF Streaming-Portal
• RTL+

The rigorous policing of illegal streaming in Germany and the high fines incurred mean it is extremely important to make sure you are only using legal platforms to watch your programmes.

If you are, streaming is completely permitted, and you can simply sit back, relax and enjoy your show.