Best Russian TV Apps for Android

Exposing yourself to Russian TV is one of the best ways to improve your Russian linguistic skills. By doing so, you get to see and hear Russian vocabulary and grammar in action.

If you’re using an Android phone, below are the best apps you can download to stream Russian TV on the go.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

1. Best for Beginners: Смотреть ТВ (Russia TV Live)

This free app contains live Russian-language television channels and FM radio stations. Every aspect of the app’s navigation is in English, making it ideal for beginner learners who are still getting used to the Russian alphabet.

The subtitles can be a hit-or-miss depending on the channel you watch, so all levels of learners can definitely work on their listening and comprehension skills with this app.

Russian TV Live includes:

• 24-hour streaming of different Russian channels

• Dozens of Russian-language radio stations from countries like Estonia, Latvia, Armenia, etc.

• A “favorites” option to keep your favorite channels and stations in one space

• Exclusive Russian sports and news channel broadcasts

This app is also noticeably fast and well-coded, so expect a very user-friendly experience. They claim that their videos are high definition, and while a lot of their content isn’t “true” HD, the quality is much better than other live-streaming applications. You won’t have to deal with unwatchably grainy and pixelated television with this app.

We suggest checking out:

• Bridge TV — A fantastic channel that specializes in Russian music videos and various television shows

2. Best for Intermediate/Advanced Learners: Kartina TV

The Kartina TV app is essentially the Android-optimized version of the popular Russian television super channel. It uses a mix of Russian and English, making it suitable for intermediate and advanced learners.

Similar to Russian TV Live, the subtitles aren’t set in stone for every channel you watch.

Kartina includes:

• Over 150 different Russian-language channels

• Hundreds of on-demand films, some of which are free to watch

• Program archiving so you can watch what you want when you want

The only real drawback to this app is the resolution. Much of the content is in mid-to-low resolution, which can be a dealbreaker for some, but works just as well if your main intention is to learn Russian.

While this app is free to download, Kartina TV requires a paid membership to unlock all of its content. However, pricing is fairly reasonable and you can try a month-to-month plan to see if you like the content available.

We suggest checking out:

• Pro Cinema — Just take a look at the playlist I just linked from their official YouTube channel, and see if anything on there looks interesting

3. Best for HD Viewing: Лайм HD TV (Lime HD TV)

Лайм HD TV is a free Russian-language television streaming app that’s actually high definition. No empty promises, no fuzzy videos that are one giant pixel—you really do get great quality Russian footage with this app.

Лайм HD TV includes:

• 140 free television channels, from news to sports to variety shows

• Quick startup and a user-friendly interface

• A “favorites” function

• Voice search

• Excellent audio and video quality

One important thing to consider about Лайм HD TV is that while there’s a ton of great free content available, many of the channels (especially channels that play modern movies) cost a fee to view.

Still, there’s a ton of great high-quality content to check out on this app. Just be aware that the entire app is in Cyrillic, so intermediate and advanced learners will probably get the most out of it.

We suggest checking out:

• OTP — A Russian public television channel with content similar to PBS

How Russian TV Apps Boost Your Russian Skills

• Watching Russian television can help you improve your listening skills. We’re constantly absorbing information about language when we watch television shows. By watching Russian television, you can improve your ability to listen to and comprehend the Russian language. Plus, television apps make it easy to fit that listening practice in when you’re on the go.

• Some of these apps feature either Russian, Romanized or English subtitles to help you improve your reading skills.
  Subtitles, be they in English or Russian, are great for practicing your Cyrillic reading and associating spoken Russian with its English translation. If you’re looking for an app that specializes in providing captions, FluentU has short, subtitled Russian-language clips. 

• Watching a mix of scripted and unscripted Russian television (a drama series vs. a news channel, for example) can help you get a grasp on different Russian accents and speaking speeds. Learning a language isn’t just about studying grammar and memorizing vocabulary words. Every language has its own group of dialects, accents, slang words and other unique nuances. By watching Russian entertainment, you can get a feel for these nuances and improve your overall fluency.

As you’ve seen, there are a few stellar Russian TV apps for Android devices.

It’s safe to say that you’ll definitely find at least one of the apps on our list useful for brushing up on your Russian listening and reading skills.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

And One More Thing...

If you love learning Russian and want to immerse yourself with authentic materials from Russia, then I should also tell you more about FluentU.

FluentU naturally and gradually eases you into learning the Russian language and culture. You'll learn real Russian as it's spoken by real Russian people!

FluentU has a very broad range of contemporary videos. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of Russian-language content available on FluentU:

FluentU makes these native Russian videos approachable through interactive transcripts. Tap on any word to look it up instantly.

Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab. Easily review words and phrases with audio under Vocab.

All definitions have multiple examples, and they're written for Russian learners like you. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.

And FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples.

The best part? FluentU keeps track of your vocabulary, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You'll have a 100% personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)