So you live in Germany, and you'd like to view English language television at home? Well, first of all you can forget the ordinary terrestrial channels - there are none which broadcast exclusively in English. None of the Television channels have any English-language programming worth a mention either.
This leaves you with two options: cable or satellite.
Satellite television - satellite provides the greatest number of English-language television channels - literally hundreds. Most satellite dish owners in Germany choose to tune into the Astra 2 satellite. This provides the full range of British channels including all the BBC, ITV, and SKY channels. A 45 to 90cm diameter dish will be able to receive most channels - exact size is dependent on where abouts in Germany you are located. The disadvantage of satellite over cable is that a dish is a hassle to install. It also requires a south-facing balcony or roof-space. Even with such a south-facing space your landlord may not approve of a dish installation. Also the initial set-up costs can be higher than cable, i.e. a few hundred Euro. Having said all that, if you're an avid watcher of British TV then a satellite dish is definitely for you and it won't break the bank. For people living near Munich see: Satellite television.
Sky Digital is a British company which broadcast a group of satellite TV channels. The vast majority of these channels are, of course, English language. They include Sky News, Sky Sports, BBC, Channels 4 and 5, ITV, FilmFour, QVC, and other Asian, adult, and radio channels.
Sky have been broadcasting since October 1998 from the Astra 2 constellation of satellites at 28.2 degrees east of south. The system is technically capable of carrying over 500 channels; something like 200 are currently available.
It is technically possible to pick up signals from these Astra 2 satellites within Germany including Munich. According to licensing restrictions, however, no-one is supposed to watch them. Many of the channels are available to subscribers only and to become a subscriber you should be resident in the U.K.. There are ways around this though. If you live in Germany and wish to watch Sky TV, you need to subscribe not to Sky direct, but via a third party reseller who will register a U.K. address on your behalf.