How to Watch ZDF Abroad
Chris
Chris, a UK-born media connoisseur, is an expert in watching international TV. Known as "The Global Screen Wanderer", he has travelled extensively across the globe with long stints away from home. With over 10 years of experience he has become the go-to guru for streaming content from home and abroad.
ZDF.de is one of the leading German TV networks that stream live online.
Unfortunately if you’re outside Germany and you try to watch ZDF abroad then you’ll be blocked from viewing.
In this article I’m going to show you how to watch ZDF abroad with minimal effort and after doing it yourself you’ll be surprised just how easy it is to achieve.
If you haven’t heard of ZDF then you’re in for a treat as they show a massive range of German language TV from sports to drama and everything else in between. If you like Winter sports or Football then they’re often a great source of high-level competition. Plus they have a huge range of other sports too!
So let’s take a look at how to watch ZDF abroad.
How to Watch ZDF Abroad
If you visit ZDF.de outside Germany from any other country in the world then you’ll be hit with a block message like the one below.
Basically it’s telling you that you’re not able to watch because you’re outside Germany.
When you visit the ZDF website it checks something called your IP Address and from this it can determine what country you’re in.
The way to bypass this block is to get yourself an IP Address from Germany by using a service called a VPN.
What is a VPN?
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and is basically a privacy tool that allows you to disguise your online location and encrypt your connection so that no pesky hackers can snoop on what you’re doing online.
It’s a totally legal service and people all over the world use them daily to protect their online privacy.
A by-product of a VPN is the ability to alter your online location. In the case of watching ZDF then you want to alter your location to appear in Germany.
You’ll be glad to know that using a VPN is really simple and only requires signing up to a VPN provider and then downloading their software. Within a few clicks you’re connected and ready to watch ZDF abroad.
Let’s find out the best place to get a VPN.
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Where to get a VPN for ZDF?
Online privacy has become a major concern in recent years which means the choice of VPN providers is huge.
This can be confusing and searching for a good VPN provider in a sea of options can be time-consuming. I’ve been testing some of the leading VPN providers to see which work best to watch ZDF abroad and found the following three are best for the job in order:
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Just click above for one of the providers, sign up and then continue reading below where I’ll show you how to use the service to watch ZDF abroad.
How to use the VPN service
Below I’m going to show you how to watch ZDF abroad on both Windows PC / Mac and Android / Apple iOS. I’m using ExpressVPN in this example but apart from the layout of the software and app it’s a similar process with the other providers too.
How to watch ZDF on a Windows PC or Mac:
- Sign up to ExpressVPN by clicking here.
- Download the correct app for your device from the Products area of their website.
- Open the app and activate it or login.
- Press Choose Location and then Germany.
- Wait for the app to connect or press Connect if it doesn’t automatically.
Now all you need to do is visit the ZDF.de website. Check out our example image below.
A VPN from ExpressVPN lets you watch ZDF in any country.
How to watch ZDF on an Android or Apple device:
- Sign up for ExpressVPN by clicking here.
- Visit the Google Play Store or Apple iOS Store. Search ‘ExpressVPN’
- Download and install the app.
- Open it and login.
- Press Choose Location and then Germany.
Once you’re connected you can either visit the ZDF website or open the ZDF app. You can now watch as much ZDF as you want from anywhere in the world.
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image by freeimageslive.co.uk – photoeverywhere
