Which countries have Die drei ??? and other German audio dramas on Apple Music?

The short version

• Germany, Austria, Switzerland: the most complete catalogue, including series that are almost missing everywhere else.
• The rest of Europe: nearly everything – including Die drei ???. A few series are slightly smaller.
• US, Canada, Australia, Japan, Brazil and more: Benjamin Blümchen, Bibi Blocksberg and TKKG, yes – Die drei ???, practically no.
• What counts isn't where you are, but the country of your Apple account.

How we counted

Apple doesn't publish which audio dramas – Hörspiele in German – are available where. So on 12 October 2026 we queried Apple's public catalogue interface (the iTunes Search API) for eight well-known series in 36 countries and counted how many albums, usually one per episode, each country lists.

Two caveats: the interface returns at most 200 albums per series, so big series show up as “200+”. And it reflects the iTunes catalogue rather than the streaming catalogue directly. The two match closely in practice, but individual episodes can differ.

Albums per audio drama series in Apple's catalogue (as of 12 Oct 2026)

Region	Die drei ???	TKKG	Benjamin Blümchen	Bibi Blocksberg	Fünf Freunde	Die drei !!!	Gabriel Burns
Germany	200+	188	200+	200+	200+	145	72
Austria	200+	187	200+	200+	200+	145	72
Switzerland	200+	188	200+	200+	200+	145	73
Rest of Europe¹	200+	153	200+	200+	177	113–114	3
South Africa, Israel	42	153	200+	200+	177	114	3
United States	1²	151	200+	200+	88	94	3
Canada, Latin America, Asia, Oceania³	1²	152–155	200+	200+	177	114	3
United Arab Emirates	0	155	200+	143	177	114	3

What the numbers say

1. German-speaking countries get the most

Germany, Austria and Switzerland share practically the same, most complete catalogue. Gabriel Burns makes it obvious: 72 albums in the DACH region, three everywhere else. TKKG is also missing around 35 episodes outside DACH.

2. Europe is surprisingly well covered

If you move to Spain, Sweden or the UK, you lose almost nothing. Die drei ??? is fully available all over Europe, including Ukraine and Turkey. From Lisbon to Helsinki, the catalogues are nearly identical.

3. Outside Europe, the biggest series is the one that's missing

German audio dramas aren't generally absent in the US: Benjamin Blümchen, Bibi Blocksberg and John Sinclair stream in full in New York or Sydney. It's mainly one series that's missing – and it's the most successful one. In the US, Canada, Australia, Japan or Brazil there isn't a single regular episode of Die drei ???.

Nobody gives an official reason. Licensing is the likely one: audio dramas are licensed country by country, and Die drei ??? is based on the American book series The Three Investigators by Robert Arthur. Rights to a brand that started in the US appear to be more complicated outside Europe. That's our assumption, not a confirmed statement.

The US stands out in another way too: only 88 episodes of Fünf Freunde and 94 of Die drei !!!, against 177 and 114 in Canada or Japan.

Why audio dramas are on Apple Music at all

In most countries, music services are just music services. Germany is the exception: audio dramas for children and adults are a big market there, and labels such as Europa (Sony Music) or Kiddinx have put their catalogues on streaming services for years. Apple Music in Germany even has its own “Hörspiele” genre.

The app isn't really built for them, though. Asked about better audio drama features in 2025, Apple's head of music Oliver Schusser admitted they simply hadn't had the time yet (as reported by GIGA).

In everyday use that means Apple Music doesn't remember where you stopped in an episode, doesn't reliably sort episodes by number and doesn't tell you when a new one comes out. That gap is one of the reasons zentr exists.

Tips for expats and travellers

On holiday: no problem

What you see depends on the country of your Apple account, not your location. With a German, Austrian or Swiss account you can keep listening while you travel. Within the EU this is even guaranteed by law (the Portability Regulation).

Moving abroad: switch your store country with care

If you move for good, you'll eventually have to change your Apple account's country, for example because your payment method has to match. From then on, the new country's catalogue applies. Moving within Europe, you'll barely notice. Moving to the US, Canada or Australia, Die drei ??? disappears from your library.

Keep your own collection

Audio dramas you bought as files (MP3, M4A or M4B) are yours, whatever the streaming catalogue says. zentr lets you import those files and whole folders. zentr keeps them in your iCloud Drive, right next to your Apple Music episodes in the same library – with your position remembered. How to prepare CDs and MP3s for that is covered in Audio drama MP3s and CDs on your iPhone.