How to Watch US TV in Germany: Stream US TV Live

To watch US TV in Germany, connect a VPN to a US server and open the channel’s website or app. Free episodes from ABC, NBC, and PBS, plus the CBS News 24/7 stream, then play as they do in the US. Paid services such as YouTube TV and Hulu still require a US payment card, and a VPN doesn’t change that.

YouTube TV is harder. It checks your device’s location and your IP address. In our tests, NordVPN couldn’t unblock it, while Proton VPN and ExpressVPN could. For the free networks and Pluto TV, NordVPN was the fastest of the three on New York servers.

Step-by-Step Setup for US Channels

US networks license their shows for viewers in the US, so they check your IP address and show a region message to viewers in Germany. UK channels block viewers outside Britain the same way. A VPN replaces your German IP address with a US one, and the setup takes three steps.

1. Choose a VPN That Works With US Streaming Services

A VPN that can unblock websites won’t necessarily unblock streaming services, which actively detect VPNs, so pick one with a tested record on US channels. Sign up on the VPN’s website, then download the app for your device and sign in.

2. Connect to a US Server

Select United States from the server list, or a specific state for local channels. East Coast servers are closer to Germany: I connected to New York, where ping stayed between 113 and 118 ms on all three VPNs. The app confirms the connection and shows your new IP address.

3. Open the Channel and Start Watching

Load the channel in your browser or app and press play. If it still shows a region message, clear your browser’s cookies or switch to another US server.

Pluto TV has a separate German version, so it shows the German channel lineup until you connect to a US server, which switches it to more than 400 US live channels.

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US Channel Results Compared

Channel	NordVPN	Proton VPN	ExpressVPN
ABC, NBC, PBS	Unblocked	Unblocked	Unblocked
Fox, Telemundo, ViX	Unblocked	Unblocked	Unblocked
CBS News 24/7	Unblocked	Detected on New York servers, unblocked on Seattle servers	Detected on New York servers, unblocked on Seattle servers
Pluto TV	Unblocked	Blocked on every US server tried	Unblocked
YouTube TV	Failed, cable channels included	Unblocked, local channels with a location override	Unblocked, local channels through its browser extension
Download speed (New York)	179.88 Mbps (5.5% speed loss)	145.61 Mbps (23.5% speed loss)	163.66 Mbps (14.0% speed loss)

For these results, we used a Windows 11 PC in Europe with a 190.36 Mbps connection in October, connecting to New York servers and retesting CBS on Seattle servers. YouTube TV was tested with its free preview, which requires no payment. Without a VPN, every US channel we tried showed a region message.

Free and Paid US Channels

Once your IP address reads as American, US TV splits into three groups:

• Free with no account: free ABC, NBC, and PBS episodes, the CBS News 24/7 and ABC News Live streams, and Pluto TV.
• TV provider login: live ABC and most cable network apps require a login from a US cable or satellite subscription.
• Paid subscription: YouTube TV, Hulu, and Peacock loaded past the region block to their sign-up pages, but they require a US payment card to subscribe. Fox played during a three-day free trial.

For US news and sports on a budget, news is free through the network streams, while live sports mostly require paid services. Americans in Germany who kept a US bank card can subscribe from abroad. For ABC specifically, our guide to watching ABC abroad has the details.

YouTube TV in Germany

YouTube TV works only in the US. Besides the IP address, it reads the device’s location, and local networks such as ABC 7 New York ask you to verify your home area through the browser.

When I allowed YouTube TV to use the browser’s actual location, it detected Europe and stopped every live stream, cable channels included. Setting the site’s location permission back to Block restored playback. With a US location supplied instead, these VPNs worked:

• ExpressVPN: VH1 played in its app, and ABC 7 played through its browser extension’s location spoofing, with no extra steps.
• Surfshark: the same result, with its own browser extension supplying the location for ABC 7.
• Proton VPN: Bravo and ESPN played live straight away, and ABC 7 played after we set a New York location in the browser’s developer tools.

NordVPN showed a black screen on every channel, with its app on several US cities and with its extension’s location and time zone spoofing. Our guide to the best VPN for YouTube TV has the full setup.

Best VPNs for US TV in Germany

These three VPNs unblocked the free US networks from New York. They differ on CBS, Pluto TV, and YouTube TV. Our guide to watching US TV abroad covers the same VPNs for other countries.

1. NordVPN: Best for Free US Networks

NordVPN had the fastest New York connection of the three, 179.88 Mbps with a 5.5% speed loss, and it was the only one CBS News 24/7 didn’t detect there. It also unblocked ABC, NBC, PBS, Fox, Telemundo, ViX, and Pluto TV, and it works with Netflix US.

Its Smart DNS covers TVs that don’t support VPN apps, which our guide to the VPN for Roku walks through. YouTube TV is the exception: it showed a black screen with every method we tried. NordVPN’s Basic plan is priced under $3.50 a month for two years.

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2. Proton VPN: Best for Privacy-Minded Viewers

Proton VPN unblocked YouTube TV’s cable channels straight away, and local ABC 7 worked once the browser reported a New York location. It unblocked the free networks too, though CBS played only after we switched from New York to Seattle servers. On New York servers, speed was 145.61 Mbps, a 23.5% speed loss.

However, Proton VPN couldn’t unblock Pluto TV, which showed its VPN or proxy warning on around ten US locations, so use NordVPN or ExpressVPN for Pluto TV. The VPN Plus plan is priced below $3 a month on the two-year option.

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3. ExpressVPN: Best for YouTube TV Local Channels

ExpressVPN made YouTube TV’s local channels the easiest of the three: its browser extension supplied a US location, and ABC 7 New York played with no extra setup. It also unblocked Pluto TV and the free networks, and CBS worked once we moved to Seattle.

In New York, it kept 163.66 Mbps, a 14.0% speed loss, and it’s among the fastest VPNs we’ve tested. Its Basic plan starts below $3 a month when paid for two years.

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Free VPNs for US TV

Windscribe and PrivadoVPN unblocked ABC, CBS, and Pluto TV on their free US servers. The free plans have a 10 GB monthly limit, and 30 minutes of Pluto TV used about 600 MB on Windscribe, so the allowance covers around eight hours of streaming. Proton VPN‘s free plan is unlimited on data, but streaming is reserved for its paid plans.

US Shows Available in Germany Without a VPN

Several services stream American series legally in Germany, though not US live TV:

• Netflix and Prime Video include many US series, with catalogs that differ from the US versions.
• HBO Max launched in Germany in January 2026 with HBO’s own series.
• Paramount+ operates in Germany with series from Paramount’s US networks.
• AFN Now, the American Forces Network’s free app, serves US service members and their families stationed overseas, with eligibility checked against military records.

Final Thoughts

What you watch decides the VPN. NordVPN covers the free networks, CBS News 24/7, and Pluto TV best, with the quickest New York speed and no CBS detection. For YouTube TV, use Proton VPN or ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN’s extension made local channels the simplest to unblock. The same method works for other foreign TV channels, and our overall VPN rankings cover uses beyond streaming.

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