How to watch French television from abroad?
United KingdomFAQHow to watch French television from abroad?

How to watch French television from abroad?

It is sometimes difficult to watch French television from abroad due to the geographical restrictions imposed on the content broadcast by French television channels. However, there are several ways to circumvent these restrictions and watch French television from abroad.

Choose legal options to access French television channels from abroad. It is important to respect the laws in force in your country, in terms of copyright and intellectual property, and not to share or distribute content protected by these laws. If you decide to use technical solutions, it is recommended to use a paid and reliable VPN, and avoid illegal streaming sites. By following these tips, you will be able to enjoy your favorite programs in complete safety and in compliance with the legislation in force.

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To watch French television from abroad, there are legal options offered by French channels as well as internet service providers.

Several French and French-speaking channels (mainly continuous news channels) offer legal offers to access their programs from abroad. Among them, we can mention:

These channels offer free online viewing or paid subscriptions (monthly or yearly) that allow you to watch their programs live or in replay, from any country in the world.

Some internet service providers also offer subscriptions to watch French channels from abroad.

Among the best known to offer these services, we can mention:

  • SFR
  • Orange
  • Bouygues Telecom

These offers are usually included in the premium internet packages offered by these providers.

Molotov

Molotov is available from European Union countries (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and France), as well as in Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland, and allows you to watch more than 80 French television channels (TNT included) live, in replay and on demand.

Molotov is available on your computer (Windows, Linux and Mac), smartphone (Android and IOS), tablet (Android and IOS), Apple TV, connected television (Samsung, LG, etc.), Chromecast stick, Fire Stick TV and Airplay.

As of January 1, 2020 (Brexit), Molotov portability no longer applies in the UK. Access to Molotov is no longer possible there since January 07, 2020. All regions of the United Kingdom are concerned: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The use of a VPN to circumvent legal restrictions concerning the distribution of certain content is strictly prohibited (in addition to being able to cause disruptions to the application and to harm your experience on Molotov).

myCANAL

myCANAL is accessible within metropolitan France and in the European Union countries (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden) via Wifi and 4G, and allows you to watch more than 200 channels and TNT live and replay.

If you are a CANAL+ subscriber in mainland France, the myCANAL service is included in your subscription!

myCANAL is available on your smartphone, tablet, computer, Apple TV, Android TV (or connected TV) and Xbox.

Following Brexit, European portability no longer applies, so it is no longer possible to access your myCANAL subscription from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For broadcast content security reasons, the use of a VPN with myCANAL is not permitted. Access to myCANAL while traveling remains possible in Ireland, as well as in all countries of the European Union.

Technical solutions to circumvent geographical restrictions

If the legal offers offered by channels and internet service providers are not sufficient to meet your needs, there are also technical solutions to bypass geographical restrictions.

The use of technical solutions such as VPNs, DNS proxy services or streaming sites can carry several risks. First of all, you can violate copyrights by watching content that is not available in your country. In addition, some technical solutions may pose risks in terms of IT security, as they can be used by malicious people to access your personal data.

Virtual Private Networks (VPN)

A virtual private network, or VPN (Virtual Private Network) consists of passing your internet connection through a remote server, so that the website visited locates you in the country of the said server. Thus, you can simulate your geographic location and access websites and content that are not normally available in your country.

A French VPN will therefore allow you to access all French television channels via the internet from abroad.

Many providers offer VPN services, some free and some paid. Some of the most recommended VPNs include:

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It is important to choose a reliable and secure VPN to ensure good quality of service and protect your personal data.

DNS proxy services

A DNS proxy service is a service that hides your IP address by replacing it with another IP address (that of another country for example). The operation is similar to that of a VPN, but there is no data encryption.

There are several DNS proxy services, some free and some paid. Just like with VPNs, it is important to choose a reliable and secure service to guarantee good quality of service and protect your personal data.

Streaming sites

Finally, there are also streaming sites that allow you to watch French television channels from abroad.

These sites are often free, but they can carry risks, especially in terms of security and legality. It is therefore important to exercise caution when using these streaming sites, and to ensure that the content you are watching is legal and complies with the laws in force in your country. Illegal streaming sites may also contain viruses or malware.

The site TNT en direct allows for example to watch the 24 channels of DTT (RTS One, RTS Two, TF1, France 2, France 3, France 5, M6, Arte, C8, W9, TMC, TFX, NRJ12, France 4, BFM TV, CStar, Gulli, France O, TF1 Séries Films, L'Équipe 21, 6ter, Numéro 23, RMC Découverte and Chérie 25) live on the internet from any country and for free.

This site requires neither VPN nor registration.