Identify the allowance that applies to the receiver
The checked help limits Free usage on smart TVs and streaming devices, with different calendar-month totals for Germany and Switzerland. It separately says this particular limit does not apply to web, iOS or Android app use. Match the actual receiver and regional account before interpreting a limit message.
For example, a household may use the service occasionally on a tablet but leave its television app running for long periods. The visible viewing time and the TV allowance can then tell different stories. Do not assume the mobile route’s described allowance removes the television route’s own condition.
End the stream before switching off the display
Zattoo’s practical instruction is to close its TV or streaming-device app before turning off the screen. This prevents a stream that remains active in the background from quietly using the allowance. Use the receiving device’s normal controls to leave the viewing session.
Build that into a simple household habit: finish the programme, close the app, then turn off the display. If several people share the screen, explain the reason in terms of the allowance rather than expecting everyone to infer that a powered-down panel can leave an app session active.
Read the reset as a calendar event
The official help says the allowance resets in full at the start of each new calendar month. It is not described as thirty days after the last film or a fresh allowance for each app opening. Note the month when reviewing a message about exhausted TV hours.
If the result still seems wrong, record the regional account, receiving device, observed message and whether the app was closed after use. That evidence is more useful than reinstalling in the hope that a monthly allowance restarts. This guide interprets the documented Free TV-device condition and contains no usage-meter, background-playback or subscription test.
Questions about this guide
Does turning off the television panel always stop the stream?
Zattoo warns that it may continue in the background.
When does the monthly TV allowance reset?
At the beginning of each calendar month, according to the checked help.