Instant guide to free digital TV channels
germany, Austria & switzerland november 2011
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Euro Spotlight
This month we look at Teutonic TV in German-speaking Europe
Germany toolkit What you need to receive German free TV n Free-to-air DVB digital satellite receiver n 60cm dish for 19.2°E, 13°E and 23.5°E
Germany has one of the largest and most diverse TV markets in the world, with 40million TV homes and more than 350 channels broadcasting terrestrially, by cable and by satellite (almost all on 19.2°E). Add in Austria and Switzerland, and Germanspeaking TV viewers are spoilt for choice. TV in Germany is based on regional broadcasters created (as radio stations) after WW2 as a foil to nationalist propaganda. The main national network, ARD, is a consortium of regional broadcasters that produces the Das Erste and digital channels Eins Plus, Extra and Festival. The second national channel is ZDF, another public service broadcaster. ZDF also operates ZDFneo, ZDFinfo, and ZDFkultur and co-produces
Eins Extra offers enhanced news coverage for ARD
Kabel Eins isn’t just football, it’s entertainment too
other channels with ARD such as Arte and Ki-Ka. Most of the regional channels are also available on satellite, known by abbreviations of the broadcasters’ names (e.g. Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg is called RBB). German satellite viewers enjoy a host of other FTA channels, including mainstream entertainment channels such as 3Sat (a joint venture between German, Austrian and Swiss public broadcasters), RTL (Germany’s most
popular channel), Pro7, Sat.1, Vox and others, as well as many niche channels and countless religious, shopping and adult phone line channels. Several are still broadcasting in analogue, but German satellite will be digitalonly by May 1, 2012. Next n Free TV from North Africa
position
Genre
Free German TV
position
Genre
Free German TV
position
Genre
23.5°E, 19.2°E
Shopping
Bibel TV
19.2°E
Religion
Deluxe Music
19.2°E
Music
3Sat
19.2°E
Entertainment
BR Alpha
19.2°E
Entertainment
Deutsches Anleger
19.2°E
Financial News
9 Live
19.2°E
Gaming
Bundesrat
23.5°E
Government
Die Neue Zeit TV
19.2°E
Religion (Switz)
Anixe
19.2°E
Entertainment
Channel 21
19.2°E
Shopping
DMAX
19.2°E
Documentaries
Arte
19.2°E
Culture
Collection
19.2°E
Shopping
DHD24
19.2°E
Shopping
Astro TV
19.2°E
Astrology
Comedy Central
19.2°E
Entertainment
DW-TV
13E
News
Bayerisches Ferns’n
19.2°E
Entertainment
Das Erste
19.2°E, 13°E
Entertainment
Eins Extra/Festival/Plus 19.2°E
Entertainment
Beauty TV
19.2°E
Shopping
Das Vierte
19.2°E
Entertainment
Equi 8
Horse racing
Italian pay-tv
Free German TV
1-2-3
2 What Satellite & Digital TV November 2011
Pay or pirate Sky Deutschland Satellites: Astra 19.2°E Encryption: Videoguard Channels: 76 SD, 27 HD Web: www.sky.de Originally called Premiere, Europe’s first digital network is very similar to Sky UK, with various sport, films, and entertainment packages for German, Austrian and Swiss residents from €16.90-€55.90, with familiar features such as Sky+, Sky Anytime, and Sky 3D.
19.2°E
HD+ Satellites: Astra 19.2°E Encryption: Nagravision Channels: 11 HD Web: www.hd-plus.de A subsidiary of Astra, HD+ offers HD versions of 11 FTA channels. A special HD+ receiver or CAM is bought from retailers with a one-year viewing card. A further year’s viewing then costs €50.
SRG SSR Satellites: Hot Bird 13°E Encryption: Viaccess
find more guides at www.wotsat.com Euro Spotlight
Free German TV
position
Genre
Free German TV
position
Genre
Erde & Mensch
13°E
Eco issues
QVC
19.2°E
Shopping
ERF Eins
19.2°E
Religion
Radio Bremen TV
19.2°E
Entertainment
Eso TV
19.2°E
Astrology
RBB regional
19.2°E
Entertainment
Eurosport
19.2°E
Sport
RegioTV
19.2°E
Entertainment
Franken Sat
19.2°E
Entertainment
Entertainment
19.2°E
Gaming
Regionalfernsehen Oberbayern
19.2°E
Glück TV God TV
19.2°E
Religion
RheinMain TV
19.2°E
Entertainment
GoTV
19.2°E
Music (Austria)
Rhein-Neckar Ferns’n
19.2°E
Entertainment
Hitradio 03
19.2°E
Music (Austria)
RTL
19.2°E, 13°E
Entertainment
HSE24
19.2°E
Shopping
RTL 2
19.2°E
Entertainment
HR Fernsehen
19.2°E
Entertainment
Sat1
19.2°E
Entertainment
IMusic 1
19.2°E
Music
Servus TV
19.2°E
Ent’ment (Austria)
JML Direct
19.2°E
Shopping
SF Info
13°E
News (Switz)
Juwelo TV
19.2°E
Shopping
Shop 24 Direct
19.2°E
Shopping
Kabel Eins
19.2°E
Entertainment
Sixx
19.2°E
Lifestyle
Ki.Ka
19.2°E
Kids’ shows
Smile TV
19.2°E
Ent’ment (Austria)
K-TV Fernsehen
23.5°E, 19.2°E
Religion (Austria)
Sonnenklar TV
19.2°E
Holidays
LokalSat
19.2°E
Entertainment
Sophia
19.2°E
Religion
LT1
19.2°E
Ent’ment (Austria)
Sport1
19.2°E
Sport
MDR regional
19.2°E
Entertainment
SR Fernsehen
19.2°E
Entertainment
Media Shop
19.2°E
Shopping (Liechtenstein)
Super RTL
19.2°E
Entertainment
SWF-BW
19.2°E
Entertainment
Mein TV Shop
19.2°E
Shopping
SWR3
19.2°E
Entertainment
München TV
19.2°E
Entertainment
Tele 5
19.2°E
Entertainment
N24
19.2°E
News
Tirol TV
19.2°E
Ent’ment (Austria)
NDR regional
19.2°E
Entertainment
TV Mittelrhein
19.2°E
Entertainment
New Jerusalem
13°E
Religion
TW1
19.2°E
Ent’ment (Austria)
Nickelodeon
19.2°E
Kids’ shows
Viva
19.2°E
Music
N-TV
19.2°E
News
Vox
19.2°E
Entertainment
Ojom
19.2°E
Music
WDR regional
19.2°E
Entertainment
ONTV
19.2°E
Entertainment
WW TV
19.2°E
Entertainment
ORF 2 Europe
19.2°E
Ent’ment (Austria)
Yavido
19.2°E
Music
Pali
13°E
Shopping
ZDF
19.2°E, 13E
Entertainment
Parlamentferns’n
23.5°E
Government
ZDF info
19.2°E
News & info
Phoenix
19.2°E
Entertainment
ZDFkultur
19.2°E
Arts & culture
Pro7
19.2°E
Entertainment
ZDF neo
19.2°E
Documentaries
Channels: 7 SD, 2 HD Web: www.ssr-srg.ch Switzerland’s German-language channels are available via satellite to supplement terrestrial reception, encrypted for copyright protection, and SatAccess cards are available to Swiss residents only.
ORF Digital Satellites: Astra 19.2°E Encryption: Irdeto Channels: 13 SD, 2 HD Web: http://tv.orf.at Includes ORF1 and ORF2 (also in HD) with
Euro Euro TV focus focus
Das Supertalent n Channel: RTL n On air: Saturdays,
8.15-10.45pm (plus Das Supertalent Backstage, 1.15pm2.15pm) n www.rtl.de/cms/ sendungen/ das-supertalent Anyone who thinks Germans are staid and humourless needs to watch Das Supertalent – the German version of Britain’s Got Talent. Das Supertalent follows the worldwide blueprint (there are more than 45 versions). Over the summer months members of the German public who believe they can entertain audition for three celebrity judges who may vote them through or dismiss them mid-act, with the hope of making the live finals, when the TV audience decides the winner. With their tears, laughter and put-downs, the
judges are almost as important as the performers. Das Supertalent has three judges – Dieter Bohlen (one-time singer and music producer), Sylvie van der Vaart (Dutch model and TV presenter – and wife of Spurs and Dutch national midfielder Rafael van der Vaart), and newcomer to this year’s contest Motshegetsi ’Motsi’ Mabuse (a South African-born dancer and judge on RTL’s version of Strictly Come Dancing). Das Supertalent competitors are often more quirky than their UK and US counterparts: 2009’s contest was won by Yvo Antoni and Prima Donna, a performing Jack Russell. For this, the fifth season, more than 42,000 attended the auditions, and RTL expects an audience of up to 9.5million for the Grand Final before Christmas.
regional variations of ORF2 and a few other channels, with most encrypted. Viewing cards (€45) are available only to Austrian TV licence-payers and use outside Austria is forbidden.
AustriaSat/HD Austria Satellites: Astra 19.2°E Encryption: Irdeto Channels: 16 SD, 10 HD Web: www.austriasat.at A basic mix of drama, sport, music, kids, and adult channels. Requires an ORF Digital box, and costs from €7.90/month. November 2011 What Satellite & Digital TV 3