Portuguese TV in the UK at a glance
- Free
- RTP Play: no registration, RTP’s live channels including RTP Internacional and RTP África
- SIC
- Opto: from abroad, SIC Notícias live with 7 days of recordings
- TVI
- TVI Player Internacional subscription, from £4.99 a month on the UK App Store
- TV Licence
- Needed in the UK to watch any channel live, including Portuguese channels
- Time difference
- None for mainland Portugal and Madeira; the Azores are 1 hour behind
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.
Legal ways to watch Portuguese TV in the UK
RTP Play: free
RTP Play is the public broadcaster’s streaming service, published by Rádio e Televisão de Portugal and listed on the UK App Store. It costs nothing, needs no registration (an optional RTP account syncs favourites), and its listing names RTP1, RTP2, RTP3, RTP Internacional and RTP África among more than 20 live channels, plus programmes on demand. The listing also warns that some content is restricted by broadcast rights, which can affect availability inside and outside Portugal. RTP’s international channels are intended for viewers outside Portugal, so they’re the most dependable part from the UK.
Opto: SIC Notícias from abroad
Opto is SIC’s streaming service. Its UK App Store listing says that from abroad you can watch SIC Notícias live with seven days of automatic recordings. Opto’s wider catalogue of series, novelas and SIC’s main channel is built around viewers in Portugal, with free and premium plans managed through an Opto account.
TVI Player Internacional
TVI Player, from Media Capital Digital, carries TVI, CNN Portugal and TVI’s other channels live and on demand. For viewers abroad it sells TVI Player Internacional as an in-app subscription; in October 2026 the UK App Store listed it at £4.99 a month, £13.99 for three months, £29.99 for six months or £42.99 a year. Check the price in the app before subscribing.
| App | Publisher | What to expect in the UK |
|---|---|---|
| RTP Play | Rádio e Televisão de Portugal | Free; RTP’s international channels live, plus programmes not restricted by rights |
| Opto | SIC | SIC Notícias live with 7 days of recordings from abroad |
| TVI Player | Media Capital Digital | TVI Player Internacional subscription for viewers abroad |
Why Portuguese subscriptions show less in the UK
Portuguese broadcasters buy most films, series and sport for Portugal. Inside the EU, the Portability Regulation lets subscribers use 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 living abroad. That’s why broadcasters offer separate international channels and subscriptions, and why sellers promising “every Portuguese channel” in the UK for a small 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. That includes RTP’s channels watched live. On-demand viewing on services other than BBC iPlayer doesn’t need one. See IPTV and the TV Licence.
Setting up Portuguese channels in an IPTV player
- Guide times. Mainland Portugal and Madeira are on UK time all year, so a Portuguese guide should line up without an offset. If it’s an hour out, the guide may be set for the Azores or a different time zone; see EPG wrong time.
- Accents. Letters such as ã, õ, ç and é should display correctly. If they appear as symbols, the playlist or guide file is in the wrong encoding; see editing an M3U playlist.
- Subtitles and audio. Use your player’s subtitle and audio menus for Portuguese or English tracks where the programme has them; see subtitles and audio tracks.
Before you pay for Portuguese channels
- Start with RTP Play, which is free, then add Opto or TVI Player Internacional if you want more.
- Check who you’re paying, with a business name, terms and a refund policy.
- Be wary of packages with every Portuguese channel, including premium sport, for a few pounds a month.
Living in Portugal? See IPTV in Portugal. More language guides: French TV in the UK, Polish TV in the UK and all languages.