Craving German TV favorites Use this hack to tune in from Holland
Reading time: 5 min
First published: Apr 16, 2019
Updated 2 times since publishing
That was the subject of a new EU regulation that said if you were a resident of an EU country but traveling, living, or working in another EU country you could still get your homeland’s streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime while you were out of the country.
It was a huge win for people who spend time away from home and want the comfort of their favorite shows while they are away.
Unfortunately, this regulation did nothing for those who simply enjoy TV shows from other lands. If you love the BBC but live in Greece or have a passion for German soap operas while living in The Netherlands, you’re still out of luck when it comes to viewing your favorite programming.
Editor’s Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
Why can’t I watch my favorite shows from other countries?
The short, brutal answer is money. TV networks don’t make any money when someone in another country watches their programming for free. The companies that advertise on television are in their own country where people can buy their products and services.
For people in another country to watch those same shows, the network in the home country would have to enter a contract with a network in the foreign country. For a fee – usually quite a large one – the home network sells the broadcast rights to the foreign network.
To keep people from other countries from watching shows online through a streaming service, networks use a process called geo-blocking.
Alternatives to Network Watching
1 FreeInterTV
There are several other options online that can help you watch Germany programming when you aren’t in Germany. One is FreeInterTV which shows live TV from nations all around the world using Flash Player.
The downside is that you cannot pick the programs you want to watch, the website simply carries whatever is on at the time of day it is. This means no matter where you are in the world, you’ll need to align your clock to German time to watch the shows you like.
2 MyTVAbroad
MyTVAbroad is another option to watch German TV abroad. It offers 17 German channels including SAT 1, Phoenix, Super RTL, and Vox.
The VPN Solution
The solution to watching German TV from the Netherlands that has the lowest cost and the best quality is to utilize a virtual private network (VPN).
When you connect to the remote device in Germany, it layers a German IP address over your original one. This allows you to fool the geo-blocking put in place by TV networks and stream their content to your heart’s content.
Three of the VPNs to use when streaming German television programs from The Netherlands are: NordVPN, PrivateVPN, and ExpressVPN.
Editor’s Note: Transparency is one of our core values at WatchEverywhere, so you should know we are in the same ownership group as ExpressVPN. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
1PrivateVPN
PrivateVPN is based out of Sweden and lives up to its name with 2048-bit encryption, an automatic kill switch, built-in leak protection and a strong no-logs policy.
It’s a leading choice for enthusiasts of torrenting files thanks to its port forwarding and P2P functionality.
2ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN offers amazing speed and splendid security to its customers. It is routinely listed as the fastest VPN service in the world, owing largely to its servers spread across 94 countries.
It has 24/7 customer support via live chat if you do find yourself struggling to connect, and unlimited bandwidth and server switching meaning you can get on the Internet superhighway and go, go, go until your eyes can’t stay open anymore.
Security features include DNS and IP leak protection, support of OpenVPN protocol, and a Network Lock, which is ExpressVPN’s fancy name for a kill switch.
Editor’s Note: Transparency is one of our core values at WatchEverywhere, so you should know we are in the same ownership group as ExpressVPN. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
3NordVPN
NordVPN is the current standard-bearer for all things VPN – combining great customer service with tons of servers and landmark security.
Based in Panama, it runs circles around security for the likes of Netflix, has AES 256-bit encryption.
