If you’re a French language learner or are simply missing French TV while traveling abroad, geoblocking can make trying to access your favorite streaming services and sites feel hopeless, but all is far from lost. In this guide, we’ll show you how to watch French TV in the U.S. and abroad with a VPN (virtual private network).
Key Takeaways: Watch French TV From Anywhere
- Many French channels have content available for streaming on their websites, including ARTE, TV5MONDE and TF1. Some sites have content that’s available worldwide, whereas others restrict their content to France and select other locations.
- If you’re outside France, you can get full access to French streaming services and sites by connecting to a French server on a VPN.
- ExpressVPN is the best VPN with French servers, followed by NordVPN and Surfshark.
Though some French TV sites are available in the U.S. and other countries outside France, some are only available within France and, sometimes, Europe. If you try to access content on these sites from outside available regions, you’ll get the message “Cette vidéo n’est pas disponible dans votre pays,” which means “This video is not available in your country.”
Fortunately, you can get around these geo-restrictions and watch all the French content you want with a reputable VPN like ExpressVPN — our number one streaming VPN recommendation. Read on to find out how that works and where you can watch French TV abroad.
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It depends on the channel. Some, like ARTE and TV5MONDE, have a selection of content for viewers outside France. Others are only available in France and, in some cases, other European countries. In any case, you can use a VPN to access any French streaming website you want.
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TVMONDE5 is available via cable or satellite in the U.S., and on SlingTV and fuboTV. TV5 MONDE Plus is included with your TV5 MONDE subscription. Alternatively, you can connect to a French VPN server and access content on the French TV5 MONDE website (tv5monde.com).
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You can explore various free French platforms like ARTE (some content is available worldwide, but not all) and TF1 (MYTF1) while connected to a French VPN server if you’re in the U.S. These services and many others have plenty of great free content, including some American shows.
How to Watch French TV: Where Can I Find French Content Online?
There are a multitude of French TV channels and streaming platforms packed with great content for both native speakers and French learners alike. Check out your options in the table below. If a VPN is required for those in the U.S., scroll down for our step-by-step tutorial on how to use a VPN to access your chosen service or site.
Some websites have different versions in different countries; for example, TV5MONDE has a U.S. version. While you may be able to access some content in the U.S. and other countries, you need a VPN to access the full French content library on some services.
| Channel: | Content | Locations | US VPN | English Subtitles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix France | Films Documentaries TV series |
 France |
Select content has English subtitles | ||
| Canal Plus | TV series Films Documentaries Sports Live TV |
France EU |
N/A | ||
| TV5MONDE | News Documentaries Live content Language learning |
 US PacificEU Canada |
Available via satellite or cable in the U.S., also available via SlingTV & fuboTV, free content on French site with ads (VPN required) TV5MONDE plus comes with your subscription |
||
| ARTE | Free cultural TV Documentaries Movies Concerts |
France Germany |
Available in six languages, including English; over 400 programs available worldwide | ||
| France 24 | News |  WorldUS |
Available in four languages, free content, subtitles on English content only | ||
| BFMTV | News Weather |
WorldUS |
Free content (with ads) | ||
| MYTF (TF1) |
TV series Films |
France |
Free content (with ads) | ||
| FranceTV* | TV series Films Documentaries Sports |
France |
Free content (with ads) | ||
| Gulli | Kids TV Cartoons Series |
France |
Free content (with ads) | ||
| FluentU | Language learning | WorldUS |
14-day free trial | ||
| 6play (M6) |
News TV series Shows |
France |
Free content (with ads), some is only available with a subscription |
Where Can I Watch French TV for Free?
You can watch French TV (live, replays, movies, documentaries, etc.) for free on various platforms, including ARTE, TV5MONDE, France24, BFMTV, TF1 (via MYTFI), France2, France2, France4, France5 (via FranceTV) and Gulli. If you need a VPN for one of these websites, you can try one with the money-back guarantee most VPN providers offer when you sign up.
Just note that these services include ads. You might also need to sign up for a free account with some of them. If the service doesn’t accept your U.S. zip code when you sign up, Google a French one to use.
How Does a VPN Help You Unblock French Content Online?
A VPN helps you unblock content by allowing you to connect to servers in different countries. This changes your IP address from one in the country you’re in to one in the country you’re connected to, thereby allowing you to access content in that country.
For example, if you’re in the U.S. and want to access a geoblocked service in France, you can connect to a French server on a VPN to get a French IP address.
Not only is a VPN useful for unblocking streaming services and sites, but it’s also an important piece of software for ensuring you stay safe and anonymous online, especially if you’re traveling and are using public WiFi networks. A VPN masks your IP address so that nobody (including the government, your internet service provider and hackers) can access your data.
How to Watch French Shows & Movies on Netflix
The Netflix content library isn’t the same everywhere — it changes depending on what country you’re in due to licensing agreements. For example, the French Netflix library has some of the same content as the American library, but a lot of different content too.
Netflix France hosts an extensive library of both French and foreign content, so we definitely recommend checking it out if you have a Netflix account and want to watch TV series and films in French.
All you need to do is connect to a French server on a VPN, then log in to your Netflix account and start browsing. There’s a category entirely dedicated to French content. Just be aware that English subtitles are available for some French content, but not all.
How to Watch French TV Online With a VPN
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to access all content on arte.fr (the full French library). Though some content is available to watch worldwide on ARTE’s website without a VPN, some, including livestreaming, is unavailable in countries outside France, Germany and select European countries.
If this is the case with the content you’ve selected, you’ll see the error message in the image below.
To get around this, follow the steps below. Note that you can use this method to access other French streaming services and French TV channel sites like TV5MONDE and TF1, as well as Netflix France.
- Get a VPN
Sign up for a plan with a reliable and secure VPN service like ExpressVPN. If you’re worried about the cost, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, as do many other VPN services (recommendations farther down).
- Download the VPN
Follow the post-signup prompts to download and install the VPN’s app. If there are no prompts, look for a “download” tab on the website.
- Connect to a French Server
Open the VPN app on your device and select a French server. Hit the “connect” button.
- Start Streaming on ARTE
Open the French ARTE website (arte.fr), select the content you want to watch and click “regarder” to start streaming. If you have any problems, connect to another French server.
The 3 Best VPNs for Watching French TV
For streaming French TV outside France, you’ll need a quality VPN with French servers. Here are our top recommendations for watching French TV online.
1. ExpressVPN
Pros:
- Various French servers
- Excellent security record
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Expensive
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for watching French TV abroad because it has a good selection of French servers to choose from as well as excellent security features and speeds. It’s also the best VPN for beginners, thanks to its straightforward desktop and mobile app experience. Basically, it’s got all you could ask for from a VPN for streaming — except in one area.
We’ll make no bones about it: ExpressVPN is expensive. That said, it’s a case of getting what you pay for, so, if you’re up for spending a bit more on quality and reliability, ExpressVPN is the provider for you. Fortunately, it’s got a 30-day money-back guarantee you can try it out with. Have a read of our full ExpressVPN review if you’re curious to know more.
- Unlimited GB
- 5
- Yes
2. NordVPN
Pros:
- Best average speeds
- Affordable long-term plans
- Very secure servers
Cons:
- Challenging mobile interface
If you’re looking for something a bit cheaper than ExpressVPN, NordVPN is another reliable streaming VPN. Its two-year plans are affordable, and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Moreover, here at Cloudwards, we test VPN speeds on a daily basis, and have found NordVPN’s speeds to be the fastest on average.
In terms of things we’re less keen on, we’d like NordVPN’s mobile app interface to be a bit easier to navigate. Nevertheless, we always have a smooth experience with the desktop app, and, overall, consider NordVPN to be a great choice for streamers. Feel free to peruse our NordVPN review to find out more.
- Unlimited GB
- 6
- Yes
- Unlimited GB
- 6
- Yes
3. Surfshark
Pros:
- Affordable plans
- Many security features
- Fast speeds
Cons:
- Higher latency on US servers
Surfshark has very reasonable annual and 24-month plans, which gives it a major edge over its close competitors. It’s also packed with online security features — not just the basics, but extras like MultiHop servers and NoBorders mode. Our Surfshark review shares more on this.
Surfshark is also a very fast VPN, joining NordVPN and ExpressVPN at the top of our fastest VPNs roundup, and showing impressive worldwide speeds in all areas (downloads, uploads, latency). On the other hand, it has shown higher latency in the U.S. Though this doesn’t affect French servers, it’s just a heads up for those who also like to game.
- Unlimited GB bandwidth, Unlimited devices
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Yes
Can I Use a Free VPN to Watch French TV Online?
Windscribe is the best free VPN for accessing your favorite French TV shows and other content because it has two free servers in France. It offers up to 15GB free data per month, but this won’t last long if you’re streaming French content on a regular basis. You can find out more about Windscribe and its paid and free plans in our Windscribe review.
Final Thoughts
Whether you want to watch French TV shows or access your favorite French streaming platform, there are plenty of options for streaming French content in the U.S. and abroad. Some content is available outside France, whereas some isn’t. Fortunately, that won’t be a problem if you connect to a French VPN server on a VPN that’s adept at overcoming geoblocks.
What’s your favorite French channel or streaming platform? Have we missed any options that our other readers might want to check out? Let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading.
The post How to Watch French TV in the US & Abroad With a VPN in 2023: Stream French TV Channels From Anywhere appeared first on Cloudwards.
