Previously, the costs for cable TV were covered by the additional rental costs – but this will end on July 1st. In summer, tenants have to pay the fees themselves. But what does that mean exactly?
To date, cable television has largely been part of the rental utility bill. From July 1, 2024, cable television will again be a tenant’s responsibility. If you want to continue to benefit from the advantages of cable TV from summer onwards, you should take care of concluding a contract soon. We show which providers are eligible and what the change costs.
The Telecommunications Act
With the so-called Additional cost privilege The Telecommunications Act previously stipulated that landlords were allowed to pass on the fees for cable TV to the tenants. An amendment to this law that will come into force in July will now abolish the additional cost privilege. From now on, tenants will have to arrange a contract with a cable TV provider themselves.
Cable television providers
In order to continue watching linear television, tenants should inform themselves now and sign a new contract in good time. In Germany, only a few cable TV providers dominate the market, most notably Vodafone and PŸUR. In most cases, where you live determines which provider is available. Vodafone, for example, is represented throughout Germany, while PŸUR is present in Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. Other smaller providers such as NetCologne or Wilhem.Tel are strictly limited to certain regions or cities.
The cost of your own contract
Before concluding a new contract, interested parties should definitely carry out an availability check. This can be done quickly on the provider websites. It is even easier to conclude a contract with the current provider in the company. However, there are differences in costs depending on the provider. Currently, around ten to 15 euros are charged for the basic tariffs per cable connection. Ultimately, this is around two to five euros more for the individual user contract than was previously due in the utility bill.
Vodafone cable TV
Vodafone is now considered the largest provider of cable TV in Germany. The basic cable tariff TV Connect offers users 28 channels from the spectrum of public broadcasters in HD quality and 69 private channels in SD quality.
The price for the basic offer differs: If the property management has a supply agreement with Vodafone, the costs are lower. A basic contract costs between 6.99 and 12.99 euros.
These are the details of Vodafone’s TV Connect offer:
- Basic cable connection
- 28 channels in HD and 69 channels in SD
- No installation or additional hardware required
- Independent of the Internet
- A Vodafone cable socket should be available in the household
- Cost: Between 6.99 and 12.99 euros per month (check availability)
- Minimum term: 24 months (automatic extension if not canceled)
Click here for the Vodafone offer
PŸUR TV
Unlike Vodafone, PŸUR is not available everywhere in the country. It makes sense to check availability on the website in advance. When you enter the address, the possible costs are also displayed, which can vary. Here too, a lot depends on whether landlords and administrations have negotiated conditions with the provider. If this is not the case, the monthly costs are slightly higher. The basic offer includes 55 TV channels in HD and 79 in SD quality and costs from 5.95 euros per month.
These are the details of PŸUR’s basic TV offering:
- Basic cable connection
- Up to 55 TV channels in HD and 79 in SD
- No installation or additional hardware required
- Independent of the Internet
- A PŸUR cable socket should be available in the household
- Cost: Between 5.95 and 10 euros per month (check availability)
- Minimum term: 24 months (automatic extension if not canceled)
Click here for the offer at PŸUR
Internet TV offers as an alternative?
In addition to classic linear cable television, there are also other options for watching the usual channels flexibly. Internet TV offers in particular are popular and offer affordable tariffs. The disadvantage is that additional hardware is often required. However, watching your favorite programs is more flexible and independent of time. A cable connection is no longer necessary. Examples of Internet television providers are Magenta-TV from Telekom, GigaTV from Vodafone or Waipu.TV from Freenet.
All common channels are available with Waipu.TV. There is also a free basic version in which all public broadcasters can be used via TV streaming over the Internet. However, if you want good quality and private channels in the package, it is better to use one of the subscription options. The cheapest subscription model, Waipu.TV Comfort, costs 7.49 euros per month and includes all public broadcasters in HD.
These are the details of the Waipu.TV Comfort subscription:
- Up to 199 channels, 164 of which are in HD
- 50 hours of recording possible
- Use of two streams in parallel
- Pause and restart while programs are running
- Requirements: A stable internet connection and a compatible device to install the Waipu.TV app
- Cost: 7.49 euros per month
- Minimum term: Can be canceled monthly
Click here for the offer at Waipu.TV
Read the fine print
If tenants want to continue watching cable television from July onwards, they have various options. The easiest option is to sign a new contract with the existing cable provider. An alternative is TV streaming over the Internet. Those interested should look very closely, especially at very cheap offers – these are often only valid in the first few months, after which it becomes more expensive and a contractual commitment of 24 months is common.
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