How to Watch French TV Shows Online With NordVPN?

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Watching French TV with NordVPN might seem impossible, but getting it set up is easier than ever!

We all have regional TV channels that we’d like to watch from abroad, but sometimes this isn’t possible using a direct internet connection outside the supporting country.

If you’re ready to find out how to watch French TV from anywhere, anytime, then keep reading.

You’ll find a quick setup guide below and a more in-depth walkthrough further in the article.

The Quick Way to Watch French TV Shows With NordVPN

If you simply need to know how to get connected to NordVPN and start watching French TV, this is the section for you.

Just follow these instructions:

  1. Sign up for a NordVPN plan today.
  2. Download and install the NordVPN app for your chosen device.
  3. Open NordVPN and connect to a French server.
  4. Navigate to your favorite French TV channel and enjoy!

A Detailed Guide on How to Watch French TV Shows With NordVPN

If you need a little more help getting up and running with NordVPN and French TV, we’ve got you covered.

Check out the steps below, and you’ll be streaming French TV in no time.

  1. Get an exclusive NordVPN discount today.
  2. Download and install the NordVPN app for your chosen device.
nordvpn app windows
  1. Open NordVPN and enter your login details. Your username is often your email address, and the password is the one you set during the signup process.
  2. Select France from the list of available servers. You’ll be connected to the fastest French server location.
nordvpn france server
  1. Head to the NordVPN website and look in the header for “Your Status.” If it says Protected, you’re successfully connected to a French server.
  1. Open your favorite French TV provider in a browser. For this example, we’ll use arte.tv.
  2. Select a stream of your choice and hit play.
arte.tv

Congrats, you’re now rocking NordVPN to access French TV from anywhere in the world!

French Channels Unblocked With NordVPN

I put NordVPN to the test to see which French TV channels it could unblock without hassle, along with streams that it couldn’t unblock – check out the results below.

TV5Monde

After connecting to a French VPN server, I navigated to TV5Monde Replay.

I located a recent stream and clicked play.

No login was required to play the content and it played seamlessly without any annoying buffering.

tv5monde

However, I did encounter an error when trying to access TV5Monde live rather than catchup.

This applied to all French servers I tested.

streaming on tv5monde

Arte.tv

I hooked up to a French NordVPN server and accessed arte.tv.

The first stream I tried loaded instantly.

The quality was a little pixelated, but it resolved in seconds.

Netflix

I connected to the NordVPN Paris server, and it took me to my Netflix library, no problem.

streaming netflix with nordvpn

I attempted to play a stream with the Paris and Marseille servers, and both connected perfectly without any buffering.

streaming netflix with nordvpn france server

Have Issues Watching French TV With NordVPN? Try These Fixes

If streaming French TV channels aren’t working as expected with NordVPN, there’s a few fixes you can try.

Switch Servers

If you’re connected to the Paris server and get an error, try connecting to one of the Marseille servers.

Failing that, Paris has several servers, so see if connecting to one of the other available servers resolves the issue.

Update the App

NordVPN is constantly improving its app to find and fix bugs.

Check the NordVPN website to ensure you’re running the latest version of the app to iron out any glitches impacting your connection.

Lots of Buffering? Check Your Connection

If you can connect to a French TV service without errors but are experiencing low-quality streams or buffering, check your connection.

Ethernet is a more reliable connection method, so if you’re using Wifi and getting issues, it’s worth trying a wired connection.

You can also check your download speeds at Ookla to see if low speeds affect your connection.

If none of the above solutions work, contact NordVPN support to see if they can assist.

NordVPN Alternatives to Watch French TV

NordVPN is a great option for watching French TV from abroad and you can see the full NordVPN review here.

But If NordVPN isn’t what you’re looking for or you want a VPN with alternate features, here’s a list of tried and tested VPNs that unblock French TV:

Surfshark is the most affordable VPN to watch French TV.

It offers unlimited simultaneous connections, excellent speeds to watch French TV from anywhere in the world, and operates a zero logs policy.

ExpressVPN has a vast network of over 3,000 servers in 94 countries, including France.

It offers 24/7 live support and unblocks services like arte.tv and French Netflix without any hassle.

CyberGhost offers over 6,800 servers across the globe and over 650 servers in France.

It operates a strict no-logs policy and includes servers optimized for streaming live TV and movies.

IPVanish allows an infinite number of connections per account.

It has 30 servers in France and provides a simple-to-use app with military-grade encryption.

FAQ

How to Get French TV in the UK?

To get French TV in the UK, you need to use a VPN provider that has servers in France.

You can unblock channels like Arte.tv, Tv5Monde, and French Netflix using a reliable VPN.

Connecting to a French VPN server from the UK will spoof your geographical location, allowing you to bypass geo-restricted TV channels that’d typically only be available when connecting from the licensing country.

Can I Use NordVPN to Watch French Netflix?

Yes, you can use NordVPN to watch French Netflix.

Both the Paris and Marseille servers connect to the service effortlessly.

When we tested various streams, the connection was instant, and zero buffering was encountered.

How Do I Get tv5Monde?

To get tv5Monde from outside France, you’ll need to use a VPN.

A VPN will spoof your geolocation, fooling the tv5Monde servers into thinking you’re connecting from inside French territory and allowing your connection to the service.

Is Watching French TV With a VPN Illegal?

Watching French TV with a VPN may be legal, but it might be against the terms and conditions of the channel or stream you’re using.

Some French TV channels require a license or a subscription fee to watch, and if you’re connecting to such a service outside of France without paying, it could be considered a violation.

Fortunately, some providers like NordVPN use obfuscation techniques to scramble your internet activity, making it harder for ISPs to detect VPN usage.

Conclusion

NordVPN is up to the task of unblocking many of the top French TV channels without any issues, such as Tv5Monde Replay, Arte.tv, and French Netflix.

However, there are some channels where restrictions are too effective (such as TV5Monde Live), resulting in error messages preventing access.

There are alternatives that work well with NordVPN, and my top recommendation is Surfshark.

It has servers in France and unblocks French TV with ease, but best of all, it offers unlimited simultaneous connections, meaning you can watch French TV on several devices at once.

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