Channel surfing, a.k.a. le zapping
, is a French pastime that can be enjoyed from your sofa. And whether you’re interested in French news, movies, documentaries, or shows for language learners, there’s something for everyone.
Here are the best platforms to stream French TV to enhance your language skills—or just enjoy some authentic French entertainment.
Canal+ is a private channel that’s home to some of France’s best original programming. For example, if you’re looking for TV shows that were originally in French or French dubs of shows in other languages, you can find these via their M6 arm.
I also like that they’ve partnered with major platforms such as Disney+ and Netflix to bring you the best of French TV from around the web.
TV5MONDE is one channel that’s actually available via certain cable providers, so you can watch French TV on your TV! But if you don’t have TV5MONDE, you can access this wealth of news on your phone, too.
The awesome thing about TV5MONDE is that they have a section specifically for French learners, Langue Française. They have various videos of different lengths that you can play and study while you tune in to French news.
Arte is a Franco-German network famous for its artistic and often avant-garde films and shows.
Arte has a VOD platform that allows users to digitally borrow films and shows from their collection. Classic French cinema and documentaries are on offer, as are replays of your favorite French music artists’ concerts.
You can watch a ton of French movies and TV shows on your phone thanks to Netflix!
Here are some of our recommendations to get you started:
The great thing about Netflix is that you can change the audio and subtitles of whatever you’re watching to French if it’s available for the particular show you’re watching. On the other hand, some shows get taken off the platform after a certain period, so be sure to catch them soon after they’ve aired.
If you want a little extra learning support while learning French with Netflix, FluentU lets you turn any Netflix video into a language learning lesson.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
What better place to livestream video content than the world’s biggest video-sharing platform? If you want to find native French content on YouTube (as opposed to French learner content), go to your Settings (the gear icon) and switch your location to France or any other French-speaking country.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll have more than enough French videos to watch for days! And in case you’re not quite sure what to watch on YouTube, here’s a handy list to help you out. We’ve also got a French YouTube channel where you’ll find video lessons like these and more:
France 24 is one of France’s biggest TV news outlets—if not the biggest one. Just hit the link above, and you can stream their YouTube channel live no matter where you are (i.e., you don’t have to use a VPN to get around region-locked content).
France tv is home to an excellent selection of TV series, documentaries and movies.
But if you prefer content that’s a little more grounded in real life, you can also click “Plus” and pick from any of the options in the dropdown menu such as sports, art de vivre (lifestyle) and even enfants (content for kids).
Don’t confuse this one with the last entry—they aren’t affiliated at all! That said, the FranceTV app allows you to access a wide variety of French TV channels on your Android phone. (Sorry, iOS users: it seems like this one isn’t available for your device yet.)
The channels are categorized into “Music,” “Entertainment,” “Education,” “Family,” “Movies” and “Automotive,” making it easier to find shows that fit your interests.
France Channel is one of the more beginner-friendly options on this list. In fact, the shows on this site come with English as well as French subtitles.
You can browse through some great movies and documentary series, access major news sites like France 24 or watch content specifically aimed at learners.
Like France 24, BFMTV is a major news channel that covers events around the world around the clock.
If you still have cable TV, there’s a good chance BFMTV is somewhere in the lineup. Otherwise, you can always stream their content for free on your phone!
Those who love sports and learning French will probably love L’Equipe
. It features both live and replayed videos of games in France or games that the French are invested in.
Unfortunately, you need a VPN to access their region-locked videos. Here’s a great article on how to use a VPN to access French TV online.
If French politics is more your cup of tea, you can also tune in to the broadcasts on La Chaîne parlementaire-Assemblée nationale (The Parliamentary Channel-National Assembly).
You can watch French politicians debate on important national issues—and perhaps privately agree or disagree with their arguments and rhetoric.
Have a taste for vintage French music? Melody TV has you covered—whether you’re looking for songs that originally came in the form of vinyl records or 90s music from the likes of Celine Dion.
You have to sign up to access the content, though, and having a premium subscription gets you even more perks.
If you’re looking for an app that’s all about news from France’s former overseas territories, La 1ère has you covered.
There are tidbits here from countries often overlooked in mainstream media such as Martinique, Mayotte, Polynesia and more. That means La 1ère is yet another platform where you don’t need a VPN to access all of the French content.
Want to watch a French TV show on Netflix, Amazon or YouTube, but don’t know where to start? Check out this list (updated for December 2024), which includes comedies,…
If you like learning French on your own time and from the comfort of your smart device, then I'd be remiss to not tell you about FluentU.
FluentU has a wide variety of great content, like interviews, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here:
FluentU brings native French videos with reach. With interactive captions, you can tap on any word to see an image, definition and useful examples.
For example, if you tap on the word "crois," you'll see this:
Practice and reinforce all the vocabulary you've learned in a given video with learn mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning, and play the mini-games found in our dynamic flashcards, like "fill in the blank."
All throughout, FluentU tracks the vocabulary that you’re learning and uses this information to give you a totally personalized experience. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned.
