The streaming market in 2026: an overview
The choice of video streaming services in Germany is bigger than ever – from global providers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV to German platforms such as RTL+ and Joyn, and specialists for sport (DAZN) or anime (Crunchyroll). Since 2026, HBO Max has also been bookable directly in Germany.
Two trends shape 2026: ad-supported entry plans and rising prices. Netflix now charges €6.99 for "Standard with ads", €15.99 for Standard and €21.99 for Premium. HBO Max and RTL+ start with ads at €5.99. Amazon Prime Video has shown ads by default since 2024; going ad-free costs a monthly surcharge on top of the Prime membership.
Did you know?
Anyone who subscribes monthly to Netflix Standard (€15.99), HBO Max Standard (€11.99) and RTL+ Premium ad-free (€12.99) at the same time pays €40.97 a month or €491.64 a year. With ad-supported plans, annual subscriptions or rotation you can cut that by more than half – see the cost examples.
The big two: Netflix and Amazon Prime
Netflix: the market leader
Netflix remains one of the most important streaming services in Germany and offers the widest choice of original productions. Series such as "Squid Game", "Wednesday" or "Stranger Things" regularly become global phenomena. Prices range from €6.99 (Standard with ads, Full HD, 2 streams) through €15.99 (Standard without ads) to €21.99 (Premium with 4K HDR and 4 streams).
One drawback: Netflix has restricted account sharing. People outside your household can only be added as an extra member – for €4.99 (with ads) or €5.99 (without ads) per month. The Standard plan allows one extra member, Premium up to two; the plan with ads allows none.
Amazon Prime Video: the bundle
Amazon Prime Video is part of the Prime membership (€8.99/month or €89.90/year), which also includes free delivery, Amazon Music Prime and Prime Reading. Students and young adults aged 18 to 24 pay €4.49/month, as do people exempt from the German broadcasting licence fee (Rundfunkbeitrag). The library is large, although many titles sit behind extra costs (purchase, rental or paid channels).
Since 2024, Prime Video has included ads by default. If you want to watch ad-free, you pay €2.99 extra – which brings the effective price to €11.98 per month. If you pay for Prime annually, the ad-free option brings it to around €10.48 a month (€89.90 / 12 + €2.99).
Specialist streaming services
Sport: DAZN
If you want to stream live sport, it is hard to get around DAZN. DAZN Unlimited shows over 90% of Champions League matches (guaranteed until summer 2027), the Saturday Bundesliga conference and all Sunday matches. Unlimited costs from €24.99 a month (promotional price with a fixed term) or €44.99 on the monthly plan; Super Sports, without the Champions League and without Sunday matches, is available from €19.99.
The Friday and Saturday Bundesliga matches (including the 18:30 top match), on the other hand, are shown by Sky. So if you want to watch the entire Bundesliga, you need DAZN and a Sky subscription.
New in 2026: HBO Max
Since 2026, HBO Max has been available directly in Germany. The plans: Basic with ads for €5.99 (2 streams, Full HD), Standard for €11.99 (2 streams, ad-free) and Premium for €16.99 (4 streams, 4K and Dolby Atmos depending on availability). As a bundle with RTL+ there is HBO Max Basic + RTL+ Premium for €15.98, or HBO Max Standard + RTL+ Premium ad-free for €24.98 (temporarily discounted according to the provider). A Eurosport add-on costs an extra €3/month.
German catch-up TV services: RTL+ and Joyn
RTL+ costs €5.99 (Basic), €9.99 (Premium with few ads) or €12.99 (Premium ad-free) and, besides series and shows, includes live TV, NFL games, podcasts and audiobooks. Joyn (ProSiebenSat.1) is free with ads in its basic version; Joyn+, with fewer ads, downloads and content ahead of TV broadcast, costs €8.99 a month or €6.99 a month on the annual plan.
Anime: Crunchyroll
For anime fans, Crunchyroll is the first port of call. With over 1,200 series and simulcasts (broadcast at the same time as in Japan), the service offers the most extensive anime library. The subscription costs €8.99 (Fan, 1 stream) or €11.99 (Mega Fan, 4 streams and downloads) per month; paying annually saves around 16% according to the provider.
How to save on streaming services
The best money-saving tips
- Annual and fixed-term plans: Prime €89.90/year instead of €107.88, Joyn+ €6.99 instead of €8.99 a month, Crunchyroll around 16% cheaper when paid annually
- Ad-supported plans: Netflix from €6.99, HBO Max and RTL+ from €5.99, Joyn free
- Household instead of extra member: If you live in the same household, you share for free; Netflix extra members cost €4.99–5.99/month
- Rotate instead of stacking: Use only one service at a time that you can cancel monthly
- Use trial periods: e.g. Amazon Prime 30 days, Apple TV, Joyn+ and Crunchyroll 7 days each
- Check for discounts: Prime for 18- to 24-year-olds and for people exempt from the broadcasting licence fee is €4.49/month
A practical tip: instead of subscribing to all services at once, you can rotate monthly. Watch Netflix for a month, then cancel and switch to the next service. That way you see all the content for much less money. Note: rotation only works with monthly plans – annual and fixed-term plans (e.g. the Joyn+ annual plan, DAZN promotional prices) can only be cancelled at the end of the term.
Cost examples: what streaming costs per year
The following examples are calculated with current list prices (October 2026, incl. VAT). Promotional prices with a fixed term are marked.
| Scenario | Combination | per month | per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget bundle | Netflix Standard with ads (€6.99) + Prime annually (€89.90) | approx. €14.48 | €173.78 |
| Series, ad-free | Netflix Standard (€15.99) + HBO Max Standard (€11.99) | €27.98 | €335.76 |
| Everything at once | Netflix Standard + HBO Max Standard + RTL+ Premium ad-free, each billed monthly | €40.97 | €491.64 |
| Rotation | 4 months each of Netflix Standard, HBO Max Standard and RTL+ Premium ad-free in turn | approx. €13.66 | €163.88 |
| Champions League with fixed term | DAZN Unlimited (from €24.99, promotional price with minimum term) | €24.99 | €299.88 |
| Champions League without commitment | DAZN Unlimited monthly plan (€44.99) | €44.99 | €539.88 |
What to look out for when choosing
- Read the ad terms carefully: "Ad-free" does not mean completely ad-free with many services – trailers, sponsorship and self-promotion, as well as ads on live content and channels, often remain (as explicitly stated for HBO Max, for example).
- Quality depends on the plan: With Netflix and HBO Max, 4K is only available on the Premium plan (€21.99 and €16.99 respectively); the cheaper plans are limited to Full HD.
- Simultaneous streams: Crucial for families. Netflix and HBO Max allow 2 streams on the Standard plan and 4 on Premium; with DAZN, 2 parallel streams are only available with Unlimited Plus.
- Term and price after the promotion: Many "from" prices only apply with a minimum term or as a limited-time offer (e.g. DAZN Unlimited from €24.99 instead of €44.99 on the monthly plan). Check what applies once the term ends.
- Booking route: Subscriptions booked via Telekom, Vodafone, Sky or app stores can have different prices and cancellation routes than direct bookings.
Picture and sound quality compared
Not all streaming services are technically equal. The best quality is offered by Netflix Premium with 4K HDR, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. HBO Max Premium (€16.99) offers 4K UHD and Dolby Atmos (depending on the title) – the cheaper HBO Max plans are limited to Full HD. Amazon Prime Video supports 4K HDR, though not for all content. (HBO Max and Joyn are mentioned here for orientation only; they are not part of the provider list in this comparison.)
Services such as RTL+, DAZN and Crunchyroll are limited to Full HD (1080p) – which can be noticeable on smart TVs of 50 inches and above. Apple TV does offer 4K Dolby Vision, but has the smallest library.
| Service | Max. resolution | HDR | Dolby Atmos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix Premium | 4K | ✓ | ✓ |
| Amazon Prime | 4K | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apple TV | 4K | ✓ | ✓ |
| RTL+ | Full HD | ✗ | ✗ |
Which service suits whom?
Choosing the right streaming service depends on your preferences:
- For series fans: Netflix remains the first choice, with the most original productions.
- For Prime customers: Amazon Prime Video is included anyway – make use of it!
- For fans of HBO series: HBO Max from €5.99 (with ads) or €11.99 ad-free.
- For bargain hunters: Netflix Standard with ads (€6.99), HBO Max Basic or RTL+ Basic (€5.99 each) – or Joyn with ads, which is free.
- For sports fans: DAZN for the Champions League and Sunday Bundesliga; the Friday and Saturday matches are on Sky.
Last updated: October 2026