French TV in the UK at a glance
- Free
- TV5MONDEplus (French-language films, series, documentaries and news), ARTE.tv and France 24
- In the UK App Store
- TV5MONDEplus, ARTE.tv and France 24
- Not in the UK App Store
- france.tv and TF1+, when we checked in October 2026
- TV licence
- Needed in the UK to watch any channel live, including French channels
- Time difference
- France is 1 hour ahead of the UK all year
App listings checked on the UK App Store on 6 October 2026. A listing doesn’t guarantee that every programme is available in the UK.
Free French TV that works in the UK
TV5MONDEplus
TV5MONDEplus is TV5MONDE’s free streaming service for French-language films, series, documentaries and news from across the French-speaking world. Its help centre says it’s available in all countries except, for now, China and the Netherlands, so the UK is included, and that you can watch without registering. It’s funded by adverts, so expect a short ad before some videos.
Its UK App Store listing describes more than 7,000 hours of programmes, subtitles in six languages (French, English, Spanish, German, Arabic and Romanian), downloads for offline viewing and Chromecast support. For anyone learning French, the French subtitles are a real bonus.
ARTE.tv
ARTE is the Franco-German cultural broadcaster. Its free ARTE.tv app, listed on the UK App Store, carries documentaries, reports, magazine shows and concerts, with the app available in English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Romanian and Spanish. It supports AirPlay and Chromecast and downloads that stay for 72 hours.
France 24
France 24, from France Médias Monde, streams its news channel live on its website in French, English, Spanish and Arabic, and its free app is on the UK App Store.
The French services that aren’t here
When we checked the UK App Store in October 2026, the france.tv app (France Télévisions) and the TF1+ app weren’t listed, though both appear on the French store. That fits how French TV is licensed: broadcasters buy most programmes, films and sport for France.
Inside the EU, the Portability Regulation lets subscribers keep using home services while temporarily in another EU country. According to the UK government, it stopped applying to UK–EEA travel on 1 January 2021, and it never covered people who live abroad. Sellers promising “every French channel” in the UK for a small monthly fee are usually unlicensed; see is IPTV legal?.
You still need a UK TV licence
According to TV Licensing, you need a UK licence to watch or record live TV on any channel, including channels from outside the UK, on any device. On-demand viewing on services other than BBC iPlayer doesn’t need one, so browsing TV5MONDEplus or ARTE.tv on demand doesn’t, while watching a channel live does. See IPTV and the TV licence.
Setting up French channels in an IPTV player
- Guide times. France is one hour ahead of the UK all year. If a guide is exactly one hour out, set a time shift in the player; our EPG offset calculator explains which way. If the guide is empty, see EPG not loading.
- Accents. Letters such as é, è, à and ç should display correctly. If they appear as symbols, the playlist or guide file is saved in the wrong encoding; see editing an M3U playlist.
- Audio and subtitles. Films often carry a French dub and the original soundtrack. Switch tracks in your player’s audio menu, and look for French or English subtitles in the subtitle menu; see subtitles and audio tracks.
Before you pay for French channels
- Start with the free services: TV5MONDEplus, ARTE.tv and France 24 cover a lot.
- Check who you’re paying, with a business name, terms and a refund policy.
- Be wary of packages with every French channel, including premium sport, for a few pounds a month.
Living in France or visiting? See IPTV in France. More language guides: Portuguese TV in the UK, Italian TV in the UK, Polish TV in the UK, Romanian TV in the UK and all languages.