How to watch Chinese live TV and shows in Germany

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In short: Germany is 6–7 hours behind Beijing, so China’s evening live broadcasts land at lunchtime and in the afternoon; in the evening you’ll mostly watch on demand and replays. When a show says “only available in mainland China”, install Homeway on an Android TV, a Google TV box, your phone or your computer and light the moon gate. Samsung and LG TVs and provider boxes such as MagentaTV can’t install it, but a Google TV box plugged into the TV solves that.

Time difference: 7 hours in winter, 6 in summer

All of Germany is in one time zone. From the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October it’s on summer time, CEST (UTC+2), and Beijing is 6 hours ahead; the rest of the year it’s on CET (UTC+1), and Beijing is 7 hours ahead. Beijing doesn’t change its clocks. Germany went back to CET on October 25, 2026 and moves to CEST again on March 28, 2027.

Here are some common Beijing times and what they are in Germany (German time is always behind; dates are noted where it crosses midnight):

China’s whole evening prime time falls during German working and school hours. Catching a live stream on your phone over lunch, then watching on demand on the TV at home in the evening, is the usual rhythm for following Chinese TV in Germany.

What time is the 2027 Spring Festival Gala in Germany?

The Gala starts at 8:00 p.m. Beijing time on February 5 (New Year’s Eve). Germany is on winter time then, so that’s 1:00 p.m. on Friday, February 5, and the midnight countdown is at 5:00 p.m., right around the end of the working day. If you’re at work or school, watch the opening on your phone after lunch and the full replay on the TV with family in the evening; the major video apps usually carry it, and it plays with Homeway too. See watching the Spring Festival Gala abroad.

International versions vs. China versions

Some Chinese video apps have an international edition that works in Germany without any help, but its catalogue differs from the China version, and many dramas, variety shows and live channels simply aren’t there. The China versions have the full catalogue, but open them in Germany and you’ll often see “only available in mainland China”.

Homeway works with the China versions: Tencent Video, iQIYI, Youku, Mango TV, Bilibili, Migu Video and Yangshipin, plus QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music. The full list is on supported apps. For members-only content, sign in to your own account in that app; Homeway only deals with region restrictions and doesn’t sell memberships.

Which TVs and boxes work in German homes

The Homeway TV app runs on Android TV and Google TV. What matters is the operating system, not the brand:

If your TV can’t install it, you don’t need a new TV. Pick up a Google TV box at MediaMarkt, Saturn or online and plug it into an HDMI port; your TV and provider box keep working as before, and you switch the input to the box when you want Chinese TV. To check whether a TV runs Google TV, look for “Google TV” on the home screen or see whether it opens the Google Play Store.

Is German broadband fast enough?

Homeway only relays the playback authorization and stream address requests; the video itself downloads straight from the server nearest to you, so picture quality depends on your own connection. For reference, 1080p needs a steady 5 Mbps or more and 4K needs 15–25 Mbps. Plenty of German homes are still on DSL or VDSL: plans of 50 Mbit/s and up generally handle 4K, while an older 16 Mbit/s DSL line is fine for 1080p but may struggle with 4K. Fibre and cable connections have more headroom.

In student halls or a shared flat (WG), everyone is online in the evening and shared networks get congested; if the picture keeps spinning, drop to 1080p first. More fixes are in what to do about buffering.

Prices shown in euros

New users get a free 7-day trial on first sign-in, on TV, phone and computer, with no card required. After the trial you move to the free plan, which you can keep using on one phone. TVs, tablets and computers need Standard (2 devices) or Family (5 devices), billed monthly. Open the pricing page from Germany and prices are shown in EUR.

Getting started on TV, phone and computer

TV: a Google TV box or Android TV

1. Install the Homeway TV app following the TV install guide (search for “Homeway” on Google Play, or enter homeway.tv/tv in a browser).
2. Scan the QR code on the TV with your phone to sign in, then light the moon gate.
3. Install the TV apps you want, such as CCTV’s TV app or the TV apps of Tencent Video and iQIYI, and open them to watch.

Phone: live TV over lunch

1. On Android, see the Android install guide; on iPhone, download it from the App Store.
2. Sign in with an email code and light the moon gate.
3. Open Yangshipin, Tencent Video, iQIYI or another app, and region-blocked shows will play. For CCTV channels, see watching CCTV live abroad.

Computer: shows in your room

1. On Windows, install the Windows app; on a Mac, use the browser extension for Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
2. Sign in, light the moon gate and watch on the Bilibili, iQIYI or Youku websites in your browser.

Related: fixing “only available in mainland China”, watching CCTV live abroad, supported apps, the France guide, guides for other countries.

Try Homeway

Free for 7 days for new users, no card required, on your TV, phone and computer in Germany.