Streaming has become increasingly popular in recent years. No matter whether it's music, films or series - everything can now be easily streamed over the Internet. More and more providers are springing up from the ground. In the following, we will give you an overview of which video and music streaming services are available and which provider may be the right one for you.
Which video streaming providers are there?
TV broadcasters' media libraries
The media libraries of the public television broadcasters in Germany are essentially considered streaming services. In addition to content from television, you can also watch live streams or content specially produced for the media library. Compared to other providers, the range is limited, but in addition to elaborately produced documentaries, large productions such as “Babylon Berlin” can also be found in the media libraries. In addition, the services are available through the broadcasting fee at no additional cost and without advertising.
Private television broadcasters also offer media libraries in which their own offers are often supplemented with additional licensed content. The two most important streaming services from private TV stations are presented below ..
The red button function is also of interest to users of smart TVs. Learn how Red-Button works and what you can watch with it in this article.
Netflix
Netflix is one of the most popular streaming providers in Germany. Users have to pay for the service as part of a subscription, but in return they receive a wide range of licensed films and series or films and series produced by Netflix themselves. These can be accessed at any time and without advertising. Particularly helpful with Netflix is the clear design of the website and the app, which helps users through recommendations to find new films or series in the wide range more easily. The download function, which is available for most of the content of the streaming provider, is also useful. If you pay for one of the more expensive models, you also get 4K quality and the option to use one account with several people.
The basic version of Netflix costs € 7.99 per month, unfortunately no free trial month is currently offered..
Amazon Prime Video
Netflix's biggest competitor is Amazon Prime Video . The two services differ little in terms of their interface: Prime Video also offers a clear design with recommendations, the option of downloading and streaming in high quality. The difference between the services, however, lies in the offer: While only the content included in the subscription is available on Netflix, users of Prime Video can borrow or buy films and series for money in addition to the subscription. As a result, the selection is significantly larger overall than with Netflix. The two providers also differ in their in-house productions: Amazon Originals such as “American Gods” or “Star Trek Picard” can only be found on Prime Video. The big disadvantage of the Amazon service, however, is that only two people are allowed to stream at the same time.
A special feature of Amazon Prime Video is that it is part of the Amazon Prime bundle. This gives you access to Amazon Music in addition to Prime Video and free premium shipping on the platform. We will explain what that is further down in the article . This makes Amazon Prime the ideal offer for those looking for an all-in-one solution for streaming.
Amazon Prime Video is only available in the Amazon Prime Bundle, which also costs € 7.99 per month - including premium shipping, Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Music. There is also a free trial period of 30 days.
Disney Plus
relatively new among the streaming providers is Disney Plus . The service is intended to bring together the offers of the various Disney brands, which means that a lot is available here, from big titles such as Star Wars or Marvel films to Pixar animated films to old Disney cartoons. The service is aimed specifically at families with children, as only content up to FSK 12 is offered. There is also a large number of old and new series, and new content is regularly added to the range. Compared to other providers, the catalog is overall quite small. Similar to the competition, Disney Plus offers a clear design and is also available in 4K quality.
Disney Plus costs € 6.99 per month. No free trial period is currently offered.
Other streaming providers
There are also a number of streaming providers aimed at more specific user groups:
- Joyn is a media library and streaming service from Pro7 / SAT1, which is why, in addition to live streams from TV channels, most of the programs from private channels are available for viewing. In addition, selected films and series are offered that have been licensed for the service or specially produced. The basic version of the streaming service is available free of charge with commercial breaks; for € 6.99 you can watch most of the content without ads and access the licensed content.
- As a media library and streaming service, TVNOW belongs to the RTL Group and thus primarily offers content from RTL television stations. In addition, there is content produced exclusively for TVNOW - in comparison to other providers, however, there are only few licensed series or films. TVNOW is also available as a free basic version with advertising and limited scope; In order to be able to view all content largely ad-free, you have to pay € 4.99 per month.
- Above all, Sky Ticket stands out for its large number of international films and series: Here you can find many series from HBO, for example, including “Game of Thrones” and “Westworld”. In addition, the offer is relatively small. SkyTicket costs € 9.99 a month.
Which video streaming provider is right for me?
Which video streaming provider you should choose depends heavily on your interests. Since the services are increasingly differentiating themselves from each other through their exclusive content, you should think about what you would like to watch before registering with one of the providers. Then, find the service that has the most of the movies and series that interest you. You can also simply use a trial month (if this is offered) and get an idea of the offer for yourself.
It is also advisable to switch providers from time to time. Most streaming services have very short notice periods, which you can take advantage of here: Once you have watched all the interesting series and films from one provider, pause your subscription and simply switch to another provider for a while. You can find out how to cancel your Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Disney Plus subscription in these articles:
- Cancel Netflix
- Cancel Amazon Prime
- Cancel Disney Plus
It often even makes sense to register with a streaming service if you really only want to watch a certain series or film: Compared to series, which often cost more than € 20 per season, you get from the video streaming providers often all seasons or every part of a film series for a fraction of the price.
Tip : If you want to find out which service offers a particular film or series before registering with a video streaming service, simply use the werstreamt.es website . Enter a title in the search bar and see which service you can currently view it on.
Which music streaming providers are there?
Spotify - for most,
Spotify has been a pioneer in music streaming for years and the service has been very popular ever since. With its extensive library of music, smart recommendations and a strong focus on playlists, Spotify has set the standard for modern music streaming. Here you can listen to music over the Internet, download it to your device, save it in your library or combine it into playlists. In addition, the range has been expanded to include podcasts in recent years, which means that you can now use all audio entertainment formats in one app. Spotify works on almost all smartphones and tablets, with its own program also on Windows and Mac computers, as well as on many smart TVs, smart watches and smart speakers.
The service is available in a free version with limited functionality and advertising. To get all the features and better music quality, you have to pay € 9.99 a month. Students only pay half the price and there are also special offers for families.
Apple Music - for Apple users With its extensive library and tidy user interface,
Apple Music is an excellent alternative to Spotify. Especially if you already use Apple devices, Apple Music is ideal, because the service is closely integrated into other Apple services such as Siri or iMessage. In addition, Apple Music is available for Android and Windows devices - but is nowhere near as well integrated into the operating systems. You should note that you have to use iTunes to play music on Windows PCs, which unfortunately causes problems again and again. The streaming provider stands out positively with song texts, its own radio stations and music videos, all of which are available directly in the app.
The basic version of Apple Music costs € 9.99 per month. Apple also has special offers for students and families.
Tidal - for music enthusiasts
Tidal describes itself as a "HiFi streaming service" which, compared to other providers, offers lossless compressed audio data. So the service is aimed at those who want the flexibility of an online streaming service without significantly affecting the audio quality. Tidal's music library is similar in size to that of the other major providers - in some cases there are even early releases of singles and albums on the streaming service. Another plus point are playlists, music videos and live streams handpicked by editors or artists.
The basic version of Tidal costs € 9.99 per month. To get the lossless quality, you have to pay € 19.99 per month. Tidal also offers discounts for students and special offers for families.
Amazon Music - as an all-in-one package Like the other providers presented,
Amazon Music also offers the option of downloading songs and allows you to organize music in playlists and listen to the radio. What is special about this offer is, on the one hand, that live reports from many football matches are broadcast and various radio plays are offered. On the other hand, the basic version of the music streaming service is part of Amazon Prime. In addition to Amazon Music, you will also receive free premium shipping on Amazon and access to Prime Video. This is a video streaming service that we introduce to you above .
In the basic version of the service, which is included in the Amazon Prime Bundle, there are significantly fewer songs available than with other providers. Amazon Music still offers 2 million songs, but if that's not enough for you, consider Amazon Music Unlimited . This does not include the other Amazon offers, but, similar to other providers, you can access 70 million songs and podcasts.
Amazon Music is only available as part of Amazon Prime for € 7.99 per month, Amazon Music Unlimited costs € 9.99 per month. You can test both offers for 30 days free of charge.
