Your best option to legally watch South African products is to get a subscription to Showmax or Netflix.
| Showmax | Kyknet and other SA programs |
| Netflix | You might find some South African content |
VPNs and DStv
Although it is possible to watch DStv in Germany, it is not recommended.
Please read the warning below. If you have to use a VPN to watch something you can be pretty sure it was not licenced in Germany.
Watching sports
Watching your favourite sports on Television can be a challenge in Germany. It is very tempting to use a VPN to watch the games on DSTV, but we strongly advice against it. Germany has stringent copyright laws.Do not violate copyright laws by illegally downloading a film, music, or other web content. You can get heavy fines for doing so. You can read more about streaming on the European
Television Licenses
Television Licence (der Rundfunkbeitrag/GEZ-Gebühr) The first thing you are likely to get in your new mailbox after registering at the Bürgeramt is a reminder to pay your TV & radio broadcasting fees. The 2023 fees are €18.36 per month and can be paid quarterly (€55.08) or €220.32 per yearThe fee is mandatory. Every household in Germany has to pay the fee even if you do not own
Warning!!
VPN’s are legal in Germany, but infringing on copyright and accessing content that should not be available can result in legal action. Copyrights are governed by GEMA – “The Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte (GEMA; English: Society for musical performing and mechanical reproduction rights) is a government-mandated collecting society and performance rights organization based in Germany.”
This means if you want to watch a South African program but it has no license to air in Germany, and GEMA does not earn their fees, it would be considered illegal.
Info on the web
- Streamen – Article in German
- Streaming was ist illegal. Information about geoblocking
- You can read more about streaming, and how to identify illegal sites, on the European Consumer Centre Germany – you can download their English Pdf here Safer-Streaming-EN
- Article from Deutsche Welle – Warning on illegal downloads
- Information from the European Consumer Centre can be found here
Related content
Internet TV and mobile
Internet, mobile and television packages are usually sold as a bundle. Fibre is available in most big cities but not in remote towns. Legal After registering
Radio Stations and Playlists
Most South African radio stations have a streaming option, another option is to download apps with a selection of radio stations. Here are some suggestions
Phoning Home
In today’s world most of us have apps that we use to chat with family back home. But not all our relatives, especially the older
You must be logged in to post a comment.