Watching soccer for up to 105 euros / TeraVolt GmbH breaks down costs for video streaming
Hamburg, August 4th, 2022 – On Friday, FC Bayern Munich will open the new season of the German Soccer League against Eintracht Frankfurt. From then on, anyone who wants to watch not only all the games in Germany but also internationally will have to take out six subscriptions for a total of up to 105.27 euros per month for the first time this season. This was calculated by TeraVolt GmbH, a solution provider for digital media products. The necessary subscriptions consist of DAZN and Sky WOW Live Sport at €29.99 each, as well as MagentaSport (€9.95), Amazon Prime Video (€8.99), and RTL+ (€7.99). Added to this is the broadcasting fee of €18.36.
Prime Video has shown selected Uefa Champions League matches since last season, while RTL+ broadcasts the Uefa Europa League and the Uefa Conference League. DAZN shares the Bundesliga with Sky and only recently doubled its prices from 14.99 to 29.99 euros. Meanwhile, those who no longer want to miss any movies and series in streaming pay up to 121.26 euros for a total of twelve subscriptions, and those who simply want to consume all moving image content in HD come to 206.19 euros for 17 services (including the broadcasting fee).
In the meantime, however, this is not absolutely necessary because Sky as well as Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone offer bundles that include several services. For example, if you want to watch the German Soccer League, you can get all the sports content from WOW (Sky), DAZN, and MagentaSport for 39.00 euros per month with MagentaTV. Netflix, Disney+, and RTL+ can also be booked in the bundle.
Vodafone offers the GigaTV package, including Netflix and DAZN, which always includes private stations in HD.
Sky goes one step further: DAZN and Netflix can also be booked as part of the package, but agreements with Warner and NBC Universal mean that content from HBO Max and Peacock is also part of the Sky Q offer.
"Never before has so much TV content been available to viewers. However, more content also means more costs and complexity due to the sheer abundance of offerings. This year, soccer fans, in particular, are feeling the pinch," said Tobias Künkel, Chief Executive Officer at TeraVolt. "Given the accumulated costs, hardly anyone will subscribe to all the streaming services that are out there but will be selective. For TV platforms like MagentaTV, GigaTV, or Sky Q, this content jungle is a great opportunity to help customers with bundles, better discoverability, and more orientation."
About the methodology: for its calculation, TeraVolt considered Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Sky, and Dazn as well as RTL+, Joyn, MagentaTV, YouTube Premium, Discovery+, the Rundfunkbeitrag, and also Paramount+ (German launch in December 2022).
Bundles
Whether it's top-class blockbusters, exciting series, or picture-stealing documentaries – never before has the entertainment on offer been as extensive and varied as it is today. While new content in a wide variety of genres is being produced almost daily, more and more providers are entering the market and vying for the favor of the paying public. It's not easy to keep track of everything. If you have a wide range of interests and don't want to miss out on anything, you might ask yourself: What does the full TV experience actually cost me? That's why we're giving you a brief overview of the best-known providers and their most important details.
To get it right from the start: Hardly anyone books 10 TV subscriptions. And usually, this is not even necessary because Sky, Telekom, and Vodafone offer exciting bundles that save time, nerves, and money. For example, if you want to watch the Bundesliga, you can choose the MegaSport option from Telekom for 39.00 euros a month. In return, you get all the sports content from WOW (Sky), DAZN, and MagentaSport. You can also book Netflix, Disney+, and RTL+ in a discounted bundle if you want.
Vodafone also offers the GigaTV package, including Netflix and DAZN, and HD's private channels are included anyway.
Sky goes one step further: Netflix or DAZN can also be booked directly into the package. The provider also has direct agreements with Warner and NBC Universal. As a result, content from HBO Max and Peacock is part of the Sky Q offering.
The Broadcasting Fee (Rundfunkbeitrag)
What is it?
The broadcasting fee – colloquially still often called the GEZ fee – is used to finance the public broadcasters in Germany. These include the nine state broadcasting corporations of the ARD, the Second German Television (ZDF), and Deutschlandradio. In both radio and television, the offerings must serve education, information, advice, and entertainment; the special focus on culture is explicitly mentioned.
Highlights
Whether news, features or reports – in the area of topical reporting, public broadcasting is clearly ahead. But numerous formats, such as "Tatort," also enjoy great popularity in the entertainment sector.
What does it cost?
The broadcasting fee of 18.36 euros is charged monthly as a flat rate per home and is required by law.
Private HD TV
What is it?
Almost unnoticed by many, but nonetheless: Anyone who uses the offerings of private TV stations in HD quality, which is standard on the market today, usually pays in the form of a cable connection, satellite, or IPTV package.
Highlights
In return, they get several dozen channels in HD from RTL, ProSiebenSat.1 and many others free of charge.
What does it cost?
The costs are generally around 5.00 euros per month.
Basic Pay TV
What is it?
Back in the mid-nineties, the brave new subscription TV world began with linear pay TV packages. To this day, many customers opt for the add-on packages offered by cable, satellite, and IPTV providers.
Highlights
The channel packages include 25 to 50 additional channels of various genres. Many content providers are increasingly pulling content from pay TV channels to market it in their own D2C offerings. As a result, exclusive highlights are becoming rarer in basic pay packages.
What does it cost?
10.00 to 20.00 euros per month.
Amazon Prime Video
What is it?
Unlike Netflix, Amazon Prime Video does not offer a streaming-only subscription. Instead, the video streaming portal is included in the price of the Amazon Prime membership.
Highlights
Successful series like "The Man in the High Castle," "Goliath," "The Wheel of Time" or "Carnival Row." And then, of course, there's the mega-production "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," which will launch in September.
How much does it cost?
The subscription currently costs 7.99 euros per month, or 69.00 euros per year, and from September 2022 on the price is expected to increase to 8.99 euros per month, or 89.90 euros per year.
AppleTV+
What is it?
Apple's own streaming service has relied almost exclusively on self-produced content since 2019. Therefore, the offer is more manageable than the competition's but very high-quality and exclusive.
Highlights
Highlights include the science fiction series "For All Mankind" and "Foundation", the star-studded journalism drama "The Morning Show," and the mystery series "Servant" by The Sixth Sense director M. Night Shyamalan.
How much does it cost?
A monthly subscription costs 4.99 euros. Anyone who buys a new Apple device, such as an iPhone, can use the streaming service for free for three months.
DAZN
What is it?
The streaming service, which was launched in 2016, has now secured a considerable portfolio of broadcasting rights for a wide range of sports. According to its own information, DAZN broadcasts more than 8000 games, events, and tournaments.
Highlights
In addition to soccer competitions such as the UEFA Champions League and Bundesliga, the offer also includes American sports leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB.
How much does it cost?
The cost is 29.99 euros for a monthly subscription.
discovery+
What is it?
The streaming service discovery+ is considered the global market leader for non-fictional content and mainly offers movies and series from the reality TV sector, documentaries, and various factual formats.
Highlights
High-quality documentary series on a wide variety of topics: From the controversial relationship between Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein in "Prince Andrew and the Epstein Scandal," to coming to terms with the murder of fashion czar Maurizio Gucci in "Lady Gucci: The Black Widow," to coming to terms with the drug-laden past with Lori Arnold in "Queen of Meth".
How much does it cost?
The monthly cost of the streaming service with advertising is 3.99 euros, while the ad-free offer costs 5.99 euros.
Disney+
What is it?
Disney+ is a streaming service launched in 2019 with more than 137 million subscribers worldwide. The big names in the portfolio include Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and National Geographic.
Highlights
The range of highlights is broad at Disney+: Not only series like "The Mandalorian," "Dopesick," or "Loki," but also classics like "The Lion King," "Mulan," or "Beauty and the Beast" enjoy great popularity.
What does it cost?
The subscription costs €8.99 per month or €89.99 for an annual subscription.
Joyn+
What is it?
Joyn+ is a so-called freemium model from the ProSiebenSat.1 Group, Warner Bros. Discovery and other content partners, in which the basic product is free and all updates are paid for.
Highlights
With the premium subscription, you can catch up on several past seasons of ratings hits like "Joko gegen Klaas" or "The Masked Singer" in HD. You also have access to well-known US series like "Grey's Anatomy" and German productions like "Jerks."
What does it cost?
The monthly subscription costs 6.99 euros.
MagentaSport
What is it?
Magenta Sport is Telekom's sports service that can be used regardless of provider and broadcasts over 1,600 sports events per year.
Highlights
Sports fans can watch all games of the 3rd league, the women's national leagues, the basketball national league, and the German ice hockey league. For an additional charge, Telekom customers also receive all Sky conferences from the German Soccer League and the UEFA Champions League, as well as all games from the DKB Handball Bundesliga.
What does it cost?
Customers without a Telekom contract pay for Magenta Sport in an annual subscription for EUR 9.95 per month or EUR 16.95 for monthly payments. With a Telekom contract, the price is lower: EUR 4.95 for an annual subscription or EUR 9.95 for a monthly subscription.
MagentaTV
What is it?
Magenta TV is Telekom's TV streaming service. With this service, you receive numerous TV channels and also have access to exclusive series, movies, shows, and documentaries in the media library. With various additional packages, such as MagentaSport, you can also customize your experience.
Highlights
Series like "The Handmaid's Tale," "Better Things," "Get Shorty," and "Condor" are exclusive productions that you can only find in Germany on this platform. And MagentaSport (see above) is also included.
How much does it cost?
The price for MagentaTV Smart is 10.00 euros for a 24-month contract term and 15.00 euros for the monthly cancellation option.
Paramount+
What is it?
Paramount+ is to be available in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland starting in December of this year. The streaming service from the U.S. will then offer not only numerous productions from Paramount, but also series and movies from Showtime, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and MTV.
Highlights
The highlights include not only numerous cinematic classics such as "Titanic," "Forrest Gump," and "The Godfather," but also all the films and series set in the Star Trek universe. With series such as "Halo" and "The Offer," the portfolio also includes the first exclusive productions outside of Enterprise & Co.
How much does it cost?
The cost is expected to be 7.99 euros per month.
Netflix
What is it?
Netflix is still considered the top dog among streaming services, and currently offers the largest selection of series, movies, and documentaries at a fixed price.
Highlights
Highlights include the series "House of Cards" and "Mindhunter," co-produced by David Fincher; the German production "Dark," the animated series "Bojack Horseman," and the South Korean drama series "Squid Game," for example.
How much does it cost?
The basic rate is €7.99 per month, but if you want the program in Ultra HD quality and up to four simultaneous streams, you'll have to shell out €17.99 per month.
RTL+
What is it?
RTL+ is a streaming service from the RTL Group. In the free version, you can access all content from channels like RTL, RTL 2, or Vox that is also on linear TV – either in a live stream or in the media library afterward.
Highlights
With the paid premium subscription, not only exclusive in-house productions, but also successful formats such as "The Bachelor" can be watched in advance.
What does it cost?
RTL+ Premium costs EUR 4.99 per month and includes advertising. The RTL+ Premium Duo option for 7.99 euros eliminates advertising and adds the option to download content and multi-device usage.
Sky WOW
What is it?
WOW is the new name of Sky's streaming service, which was known as "Sky Ticket" until June 2022.
Highlights
WOW Series & Fime features classics like "The Sopranos," "Six Feet Under," and "The Wire," as well as many newer hit series like "Game of Thrones," "Watchmen," and "Westworld."
WOW Live-Sport includes the Saturday matches of the Bundesliga, the 2nd Bundesliga, and the Premier League, as well as Formula 1, the handball Bundesliga, NHL, golf, Tennis, and much more.
What does it cost?
There are currently a total of three different subscriptions to choose from: WOW Series for 9.99 euros per month, WOW Movies and Series for 14.98 euros per month, and WOW Live Sports for 29.99 euros per month.
YouTube Premium
What is it?
YouTube Premium is a special subscription to the YouTube video portal that has been offered in Germany since 2018. With it, millions of videos can be watched without advertising and also downloaded. A portfolio of exclusive originals is also included.
Highlights
The subscription also includes the premium version of the YouTube Music streaming app.
What does it cost?
After a trial period of eight weeks, the subscription costs 11.99 euros per month.