With Amazon Prime Video, many series and films are included in the monthly subscription. What is less known, however, is that Prime Video also allows you to receive television channels for free. You can find out exactly how this works at TECHBOOK.
TV stations can also be streamed with services such as Zattoo, Joyn or Magenta TV via any broadband Internet connection. The catch, however, is that these providers are at least partially chargeable. There are still ways to save here, too. A well-known option is, for example, the media libraries of the public broadcasters, but there is also free TV fun with services such as Pluto TV and, more recently, Rakuten TV. With Amazon Prime Video you can also receive some TV channels and even in HD quality.
Live TV option on Amazon Prime Video
The live TV section is somewhat hidden in the Prime Video app or in the browser overview, so you don’t see it immediately when you first look at the overview, you first have to scroll down. In the “Included in Prime” section you will then find the “Live in German Free TV” section. The option is available on mobile devices as well as streaming sticks and players such as the Amazon Fire TV Cube.
It is particularly remarkable that all currently available channels are offered in HD resolution. This is not a matter of course with many streaming services, often there is a surcharge for HD options.
Also interesting: For whom is an Amazon Prime subscription worthwhile?
TV channels still limited on Amazon
However, there is a catch with the offer: Currently, this is mainly limited to public service programs of the ARD including regional channels and digital special interest channels as well as ZDF, ARTE and 3sat. The app also includes the news channel WELT from Axel Springer, also in HD resolution. It can be assumed that the number of television channels available on Amazon will continue to increase in the near future.
However, it seems unlikely that programs from the RTL Group or from Sat1 and ProSieben will also be added, for example. These are also available via their own streaming services RTL+ and JoynPlus. Perhaps there will be an agreement here.
Also read: Joyn vs. RTL + – for whom which streaming service is worthwhile
As previously mentioned, live streams from the public television stations are not only available on Amazon, but above all in the ARD and ZDF apps themselves or via the browser. A big advantage there is that you can also access the media libraries. For example, if you miss a series episode or documentary, you can watch it at a later date. However, the Prime Video app is clearly more convenient for Amazon customers, after all, in addition to the TV channels, all Prime Video content is also available there. It is then no longer necessary to switch between different apps.
Free alternatives
If you don’t use a paid streaming service like Amazon Prime Video, but still want to stream live TV, you have a few alternatives. There is a large selection of private broadcasters such as ProSieben, Sat.1 or DMAX with the free Joyn Plus version – Joyn. Live content from Nickelodeon, MTV or Comedy Central can be found on the streaming service Pluto TV. However, this is not the live television signal, but content specially prepared for Pluto TV. Among other things, Tele 5 can also be watched as a live stream on the broadcaster’s homepage.
source