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How to Watch RTL+ outside Germany: VPN Guide 2026
Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten has run on German screens for more than three decades, and German speakers who live abroad, language learners and fans of German TV all want a way in. Pair that daily soap with the DSDS talent show, Formula 1 sessions and a slate of live NFL games, and you can see why the catalogue draws viewers far beyond its home turf. The catch is that RTL+ stays locked to the German-speaking area: the moment RTL+ spots a foreign IP address, the player stops and an error replaces your episode.
The platform is run by RTL Deutschland (Bertelsmann) and grew into one of the biggest streaming services in the German-speaking world. It officially works in 5 countries and stays blocked everywhere else. From your country the workaround is a capable VPN that places you virtually inside Germany. We recommend Surfshark, which signs you in and plays back cleanly, so where you actually live no longer decides what you can watch.
Free
Price
5
Countries
1080p
Max quality
7 of 7
VPNs work
2-3 min
Ready in
Quick answer
Can you watch RTL+ outside Germany?
Not on its own, because RTL+ checks your IP address and only opens for viewers inside the German-speaking region. The fix is a VPN: connect to a German server, pick up a local IP, and the library loads as if you were in Germany. Surfshark has a long record of slipping past the detection and holding a steady stream, so GZSZ, DSDS and the live sport play even when you sit outside Germany. You still pay the subscription yourself; the VPN only changes your location.
VPN Compatibility
Best VPN for RTL+
Tested weekly by our team. Green: works, amber: partial, red: blocked.
Tested on July 27, 2026 · 7 VPNs, 7 working · residential IP from Germany · RTL+ updates detection continuously, results may change.
⚠️
Streaming service blocking your VPN? Just disconnect and hop onto a different server in the same country. Stick to the ones labeled “streaming” or “optimized” because they’re literally built for this.
How-to
How to Unblock RTL+ with a VPN
Takes about 2 minutes. Works on your phone, tablet, TV, PC, or laptop.
1
Pick a reliable VPN
Choose a provider with fast German servers. Surfshark is one of the safest bets, with plans starting at $1.78 a month.
An annual plan works out cheaper than paying month to month.
2
Connect to a server in Germany
Open the app and select a German location. That hands you a local IP address so RTL+ treats you like a viewer inside Germany.
If one server is blocked, switch to another German city and reconnect.
3
Sign in or create a free account
Load the website or the app and sign in, or create a free account if you don’t have one yet. With the German IP in place, registration and the free ad-supported tier on RTL+ open up as they do at home.
Set up the account while connected so RTL+ reads you as a local user.
4
Start streaming
Play your episode. Video runs at up to 1080p, so a steady, faster connection keeps things smooth.
A nearby German server usually gives the most stable picture.
Ready to watch RTL+ without borders?
Surfshark: risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee
This overall 1-10 score combines value, reliability, and VPN compatibility into one editorial verdict. Higher = better overall experience.
7.0
Value
This 1-10 score rates the value for money: content and features vs. price. Higher = better deal. 10 = outstanding offer. 5 = market average.
9.0
Reliability
This 1-10 score rates the reliability of streams, apps, and the service overall: higher = fewer technical issues. 10 = no outages. 5 = occasional minor glitches.
7.0
Works with VPN
This 1-10 score shows how easily the platform unblocks with a VPN: higher is better. 10 = works with any service. 5 = you’ll need a premium VPN from the table above.
Availability
Which countries is RTL+ available in?
RTL+ works in 5 countries, including in Germany, in Austria, in Liechtenstein, in Luxembourg and in Switzerland. In 189 more it is blocked, and outside available regions you will need a VPN.
RTL+ is blocked in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada and in New Zealand, plus in 184 more countries. To access it, use a premium VPN like Surfshark.
Available
Blocked / unavailable
Last tested: July 13, 2026
⚠️
Steer clear of free VPNs. Most of them actually collect and sell your data, lack proper security audits, and can even expose you to malware. They’re also useless for streaming. Platforms block them instantly, leaving you with more headaches than solutions. Stick to paid VPNs with verified audits, like Surfshark, if you want something that actually works.
RTL+ is the streaming platform of Bertelsmann-owned RTL Deutschland, launched back in 2007 as RTL Now before going through two rebrands (TVNow, then RTL+ in late 2021). On top of the expected TV catalogue (reality formats like Deutschland sucht den Superstar, daily soaps, plus Formula 1 and, in some seasons, NFL coverage) the service bundles a music library powered by Deezer and an audiobook catalogue. The lineup runs from entry-level Basic through Premium and the ad-free Premium Werbefrei up to RTL+ Musik, which adds the music and audiobook catalogue, while the Family tier opens up more profiles. They differ in simultaneous streams, picture quality and music access.
The first screen you see when you open RTL+.
Company and history
Previously known as
RTL NowTVNow
Major changes
The service launches as RTL Now, a catch-up library for the RTL group's broadcast channels. For the first time, viewers can stream missed episodes of soaps and reality shows after they air.
The separate NOW portals (RTL Now, VOX Now and others) are bundled under a single brand, TV Now, the first step from a catch-up archive toward a full streaming service.
A major rebrand turns the service into today's RTL+. It expands with Deezer-powered music, audiobooks and podcasts, moving toward a model where video and audio sit under one roof.
By the end of March, RTL+ reports around 6.2 million paying subscribers. Sport such as Formula 1 and a slate of NFL games pulls in new viewers and pushes the service among DACH market leaders.
RTL Group announces its plan to buy Sky Deutschland from Comcast. The aim is to combine both brands' libraries and strengthen RTL+ against global rivals on the German market.
By year-end RTL+ crosses seven million paying subscribers, up roughly 16 percent year on year. The bundle with Telekom's Magenta TV stays one of the main growth drivers.
With HBO Max's German launch, RTL+ becomes its exclusive bundle partner. A single subscription now pairs RTL+'s home-grown content with international series like House of the Dragon.
The European Commission clears RTL's acquisition of Sky Deutschland without conditions. The deal is set to close in June 2026, creating Germany's largest subscription video business by subscribers.
Trust signals
App Store
4.6 / 5
Google Play
2.8 / 5
Content & Catalog
What to watch on RTL+?
25
Max offline downloads
Content TypesMovies · Series · Live TV · Live Sport · Anime · Documentaries · Kids · News · Originals · Offline
SubtitlesGerman
DubbingGerman
Payment methodsCredit card · PayPal · Apple Pay · Google Pay · Klarna · Bank transfer
Offline downloadsUp to 720p offline · Download expires after 30 days
Yuji Itadori is a boy with tremendous physical strength, though he lives a completely ordinary high school life. One day, to save a classmate who has been attacked by curses, he eats the finger of Ryomen Sukuna, taking the curse into his own soul. From then on, he shares one body with Ryomen Sukuna. Guided by the most powerful of sorcerers, Satoru Gojo, Itadori is admitted to Tokyo Jujutsu High School, an organization that fights the curses... and thus begins the heroic tale of a boy who became a curse to exorcise a curse, a life from which he could never turn back.
JUJUTSU KAISEN
★ 8.62020
#2TV
Deep down in the Pacific Ocean in the subterranean city of Bikini Bottom lives a square yellow sponge named SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob lives in a pineapple with his pet snail, Gary, loves his job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, and has a knack for getting into all kinds of trouble without really trying. When he's not getting on the nerves of his cranky next door neighbor Squidward, SpongeBob can usually be found smack in the middle of all sorts of strange situations with his best buddy, the simple yet lovable starfish, Patrick, or his thrill-seeking surfer-girl squirrel pal, Sandy Cheeks.
SpongeBob SquarePants
★ 7.71999
#3
Documentary from Nadja Kölling and Vanessa Nöcker about the soccer world championship 1990 in Italy.
Ein Sommer in Italien - WM 1990
★ 8.52026
#4TV
Angelo Doyle lives two totally separate lives, fearsome NYC hitman and sleepy upstate Cooperstown photocopier salesman and father. Both of them are threatened when he is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a disease he already lost his older brother to.
Memory of a Killer
★ 7.82026
#5TV
Burgundy is surrounded by enemies. Siegfried's arrival sparks new hope, but King Gunther is hatching a dangerous plan. Much to the displeasure of master-at-arms Hagen, who is secretly in love with the king's daughter Kriemhild.
War of the Kingdoms
★ 6.92025
#6TV
The incredible inside story of a huge police operation to infiltrate dangerous global crime gangs through their encrypted phone network.
Operation Dark Phone : Murder by Text is the inside story the biggest ever joint law enforcement operation against a global network of organised crime groups who believed their encrypted phones were safe. Until a collaboration between international authorities - led in the UK by the National Crime Agency - managed to hack their phones to reveal the astonishing details of their messages. For the first time since the EncroChat network was infiltrated in 2020, the messages sent and the criminals exposed are exclusively revealed in a four part documentary series that tells the story in compelling and shocking detail. For 74 frantic days the authorities could read all the messages and sought to save lives and bring down the gangs, before the criminals realised their data was being captured.
Operation Dark Phone: Murder by Text
★ 7.82025
#7TV
In 1972, the first Black female FBI agent heads to the Southwest and recruits a gutsy getaway driver in a bold effort to take down a growing crime syndicate.
Duster
★ 6.42025
#8
Levon Cade left behind a decorated military career in the black ops to live a simple life working construction. But when his boss's daughter, who is like family to him, is taken by human traffickers, his search to bring her home uncovers a world of corruption far greater than he ever could have imagined.
A Working Man
★ 6.72025
#9
Lacey is an amusement park princess who befriends 8-year-old Rose, a real-life princess, and is recruited by her handsome father to travel to their kingdom and be the new governess.
Royal-ish
★ 6.12025
#10
Philly mechanic Johnny is surprised to learn that his long-lost father is a duke. But the duke isn’t quite what he expected, nor are his growing feelings for the duke’s advisor Prudence.
The Reluctant Royal
★ 6.82025
#11TV
An icebreaker is stranded in a winter storm during the longest, darkest Solstice night. Coast Guard Sanna Tanner leads the rescue team, haunted by disturbing events. Sanna races to solve the mystery before she becomes the next target.
Icebreaker
★ 5.82025
#12
A call for help from gallery owner Mr. Prentice leads the three detectives into a new adventure: his apartment is said to be haunted. When the Carpathian dog, a valuable work of art, is also stolen, events spiral out of control because all the residents have a motive. As the suspects are eliminated one by one, the three detectives find themselves in the middle of their most exciting case yet.
5 tips from our RTL+ testing team · Updated July 13, 2026
1
Music and audiobooks from Deezer now live only in the top RTL+ Musik plan; for series and films alone the cheaper Premium tier is plenty.
2
If ads bother you, pick Premium Werbefrei to strip them out, since the entry-level Basic plan still runs commercials.
3
You need a higher tier for full resolution (Full HD) and watching on several screens at once, as the Basic plan is capped to lower resolution and a single stream.
4
RTL+ is geoblocked outside Germany, Austria and Switzerland, so connect through Surfshark to a German server to keep watching while abroad.
5
Download episodes for offline viewing only inside the RTL+ mobile app, because there is no Windows or Mac desktop client with downloads.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before subscribing to RTL+.
RTL+ offers part of its content for free with ads, while the full library, sport and downloads sit behind a paid plan. From outside Germany you won’t even see the free tier without a German IP address. Connect through Surfshark to a server in Germany and both the free and paid sections appear just as they do at home. The VPN only changes your location; any subscription you still pay yourself.
Yes, though not with every provider. RTL+ actively detects and blocks the IP addresses of many VPN servers, so cheap or overcrowded services often fail. Surfshark keeps its German servers in good shape and has slipped past the detection for a long time, which keeps both sign-in and playback on RTL+ stable from your country.
You can run RTL+ on the web, in iOS and Android apps, on Samsung and LG smart TVs, via Fire TV and Apple TV. The safest setup is a VPN on the device itself or on your router. For a TV without VPN support, sharing your phone’s connection with Surfshark active does the job.
Registration works from outside Germany as long as you’re connected through a German server. Without a German IP address RTL+ may refuse to complete the account. So connect with Surfshark first and only then create the account or start a paid plan, which helps you avoid a declined sign-up. You still pay any subscription yourself.
Select sports broadcasts, including NFL games and, depending on the season, Formula 1, sit in the paid Premium tier on RTL+. Rights shift from year to year, so check the current line-up in the app. From your country these streams are locked like the rest of the catalogue, and Surfshark with a German IP opens them.
A VPN is a legal tool in Europe, and using one to reach a service from another country is rarely a criminal matter. It may breach RTL+’s terms, though, so use a VPN sensibly and pay for the content you watch. Surfshark also encrypts your traffic, so on top of changing your location it protects your privacy on public networks.
RTL+ checks your IP address, and once it sees you outside the German-speaking region it blocks playback and shows an error. Sometimes a poorly masked server triggers it too. Switch to Surfshark with fresh German IP addresses and refresh the page; the message on RTL+ should disappear.
RTL+ is region-locked to the German-speaking area and officially works in 5 countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. Everywhere else the player blocks foreign IPs. If you live outside those markets, a German server from Surfshark is the way to reach the RTL+ library, while you keep paying any subscription yourself.
Streams run at up to 1080p, which is plenty for soaps, reality shows and live sport on RTL+. Over a VPN the quality holds up if your connection is fast and the German server is nearby. A steady link keeps the detail intact even when you watch from far outside the German-speaking region.
Ready to watch RTL+ without borders?
Surfshark unlocks RTL+ from anywhere in the world. Risk-free 30-day money-back.
#1TV
