From summer onwards, cable television will become a tenant’s responsibility, as the so-called additional cost privilege for the TV connection ends on June 30th. Millions of tenants will then have to take care of it themselves. We show what options there are.
In the middle of the sporting TV event of the year – the European Football Championship in Germany – the additional cost privilege for cable television ends. From July 1st, landlords are no longer allowed to pass on the costs of cable connection to tenants. This affects around twelve million households. Nobody will then have to pay for a connection that they don’t even use, but on the other hand, the tenants themselves will now have to pay if they want to continue to have live TV in the living room. You basically have three options.
1. Book cable TV yourself
If you don’t want new devices, multiple remote controls or new channel programming, book your own cable connection. Precisely because many providers fear a massive decline in customers due to the loss of the additional cost privilege, there are currently good offers here. New Vodafone customers currently receive half a year of free cable television with the GigaTV Cable cable tariff. From the seventh month onwards the whole thing costs 14.99 euros.
Click here for the Vodafone offer
- Free for six months, then 14.99 euros
- 57 channels in HD, 87 channels in SD resolution
- Provision costs 49.99 euros
- Minimum contract term 24 months
2. Watch TV over the Internet
Not only Netflix, Amazon Prime & Co. have been competing with classic cable television for years, TV streaming over the Internet is also finding more and more fans. Watching TV via the Internet using a stick or an app has the advantage that the TV experience is not limited to the living room. You can also easily pause, rewind or record your favorite show. However, problems can occur, as with the Internet, for example if the bandwidth is too small or the WLAN is too weak. Waipu.tv, for example, offers a large selection of TV channels. With the 4K TV stick and the corresponding subscription you can receive over 220 channels – most of them in HD. When purchasing the stick via Amazon, new customers can use the Perfect Plus subscription, including numerous pay TV channels, free of charge for the first three months.
Click here for the offer on Amazon
- 4K TV stick for 59.99 euros
- Includes voucher for three months of Perfect Plus subscription
- More than 220 channels (over 200 in HD)
- Can be canceled monthly
- 30,000 films and series in the Waipu library
Television over the Internet is also available from the provider Zattoo. The principle here is similar to Waipu.tv: Different subscriptions offer different ranges of available channels, depending on your taste. However, those interested don’t get a stick here, but instead watch live TV exclusively via an app, either on the smart TV or on the mobile device. Subscription prices start at 6.49 euros per month for 181 TV channels (168 in HD) and one stream at the same time.
Click here for the offer at Zattoo
- Smart HD subscription from 6.49 euros per month
- Restart and pause function
- Can be canceled monthly
- Try it free for 30 days
3. Avoid live TV altogether
Since there have been more and more streaming offers, linear television has lost popularity. It is therefore not surprising that from July onwards many people decide to forego cable connections and Internet TV and only rely on streaming offers. Consoles such as the PlayStation 5 also offer a useful complete entertainment package. In addition to the games, streaming apps are also available here, so you can switch from your favorite series to your favorite game with just the push of a button. The PS5 is currently available in the slim version at Media Markt.
Click here for the offer at Media Markt
- PlayStation 5 Slim for 469 euros (instead of 549.99 euros)
- Several streaming services available as apps (including Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV)
- One TB of hard drive space
- Includes wireless controller
More television from July
The bottom line is that the elimination of the additional cost privilege for cable television is good news for tenants, because they no longer have to pay a flat rate for a connection that may not even be used. Anyone who would like to continue watching live TV via cable or the Internet can currently benefit from interesting offers, as providers want to win over as many tenants as possible before July 1st. If linear television is not required, users can also rely entirely on streaming apps. But if there is more than one provider, it can be quite expensive. By the way: If nothing is done, the screen will not automatically remain black on July 1st. Little by little, however, all cable connections without a contract are likely to be shut down.
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