People living in France have access to some of the best European TV channels that are, coincidentally, based in this country. On channels like France TV and TF1, you can stream sports events and enjoy a boatload of interesting shows and movies.
However, despite this awesome content, people still want to know how to watch US TV in France. Besides, American TV channels are regarded as some of the best in the world, as they’re home to blockbusters, Netflix shows, live sports broadcasts, and so much more.
Unfortunately for many users outside of the US, watching American TV is impossible as long as you aren’t located in this country. That is for those who aren’t reading this article. For those who are… well, consider yourself lucky because you’re going to learn something new today.
In this article, I will show you a very simple trick to watch US TV live in France and enjoy American channels while being located in one of the most beautiful countries in Europe!
Why US TV Channels Aren’t Available in France?
When it comes to TV channels and streaming platforms, we’re all aware of the phenomenon called geo-restriction. A geo-restriction is a form of restriction based on the user’s location, which prevents a particular user from accessing a site or platform because he’s located in a foreign country.
In our article about how to unblock websites at school, we explain this thoroughly. For now, it’s vital to mention that US TV channels have a license that allows them to broadcast only inside the United States and this is, in 99% of the cases, the reason behind geo-restrictions.
Simply put, the channel must adhere to its license and respect its broadcasting rights by NOT showing its content to people outside of a particular region – in this case, the United States. That’s why you can’t watch US TV in France but also French TV channels outside of France!
How to Watch US TV Live in France – Full Tutorial
This can easily be done by using a Virtual Private Network (find more info in our article explaining the meaning of VPN). A VPN is here to do a few things for you, one of which is securing your connection by hiding your IP address and applying bank-grade encryption, which prevents your online activities from being tracked.
The second thing, however, is more important to watch American TV in France. And that is swapping your original IP address with an IP address located somewhere else, which changes your online location and allows you to bypass geo-blocks effortlessly.
It’s clear that you need an American IP address to watch US TV live in France and with a VPN like ExpressVPN, you can easily get it. This is my recommended choice for this purpose because it offers hundreds of servers in the US, in 20+ locations, making it the most reliable pick at the moment.
Nevertheless, you can watch US TV channels in France by following these 3 easy steps, so let’s go through them together and see how to perform them.
1. Get ExpressVPN
To gain access to US TV channels in France, you will need ExpressVPN. And in the same fashion, you’ll need ExpressVPN’s subscription which isn’t free but it offers a few incentives. One of them is a 49% discount for the 12-month plan plus 3 FREE months on top of everything.
Essentially, you’re paying for 12 months and get 15 instead, along with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The latter is especially important because it allows you to get refunded in the first 30 days if you don’t like ExpressVPN or you don’t want to watch US TV in France anymore.
Either way, getting this special deal is easy through the button above, and in doing so, you get full access to ExpressVPN’s apps. You can download and use this VPN on Apple TV, Windows, iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, and many other platforms.
However, I’m using it on Windows with a dashboard that looks like the one from above. The same dashboard is on ALL other platforms, so the applications are identical, which makes things much simpler.
2. Connect to a Server in the USA
So how to connect to an American server? Well, the easiest way would be to open the server list by clicking on the three horizontal dots (next to “USA – Washington DC”), and under the Recommended tab, find the United States.
You can simply double-click on the US (tap once on iOS/Android) and wait for it to establish a connection.
The screen will turn green, as you can see, and this is an indication that the connection is successful.
Two More VPNs to Watch US TV in France in 2024
If you find ExpressVPN expensive or you don’t like it, it’s not the end of the world. Our team tested hundreds of them and we’ll promptly go over a few more providers that will unblock any US TV channel in France.
CyberGhost
While ExpressVPN is better than CyberGhost, this provider’s quality remains undeniable. With 11,500+ servers in 100 countries, unblocking American channels is simple. Besides, CyberGhost offers dedicated servers for streaming, optimized for an array of platforms.
Apart from ABC, MSNBC, and others, you can also unblock Netflix US! This means you’ll unblock a wealth of series and movies to watch on lazy Sundays. Another benefit of CyberGhost is support for all platforms with 7 simultaneous connections per account.
This enables you to protect multiple devices at the same time at no additional cost. One more thing is that CyberGhost is cheaper than ExpressVPN. While being slower and not offering obfuscation, its 2-year plan is excellent at only $2 or so a month.
If you’re interested, check out CyberGhost’s exclusive discount below. It won’t last forever and while it does, you’ll get a 45-day money-back guarantee that makes everything risk-free!
NordVPN
NordVPN lets you enjoy US TV in France or anywhere else. Thanks to 6,000+ servers and 2,000+ in the US alone, NordVPN’s performance is out of this world. It’s fast, reliable, and secure, making it an all-around package for day-to-day use.
NordVPN works with 20+ Netflix catalogs and ALL American TV channels. Moreover, it’s a tad faster than CyberGhost and offers Threat Protection for blocking ads and trackers. Its Meshnet feature is nifty for remote access – something you won’t find in other VPNs.
Additionally, NordVPN comes with easy-to-use apps and even SmartDNS for streaming on non-VPN-supported systems. Users who decide on it will like the inclusion of Double VPN, which doubles their encryption and makes them completely untraceable.
Through our site, you can get a NordVPN coupon and save some of your hard-earned money. Just know that ExpressVPN is still better, which is reflected in its price.
Watching US TV in France With a Free VPN: Will It Work?
It’s quite tempting to try a free VPN, especially when you see that pretty much all of them offer US-based servers. I won’t lie to you. Some free VPNs will allow you to watch US TV live in France but because something is free, there are always hidden costs that you don’t see.
Let’s take a free VPN like Windscribe. Windscribe offers US servers and it will work for this purpose but it offers just 10 GB of monthly bandwidth. Test it out and try streaming online. You’ll see that all of the allowed bandwidth will be spent in no more than an hour or two.
Now, you can also try Hola VPN. Hola VPN offers no bandwidth limits and it seems like it’s working perfectly fine, all while offering servers in many worldwide countries. What’s the catch? The catch is that Hola VPN collects logs of your personal information, browsing history, IP address, and everything else.
It then sells your personal data to third-party companies and advertisers that can spy on your activities and bombard you with targeted ads. Either way, with free VPNs, there are always compromises in terms of bandwidth, performance, and privacy, despite some of them working just fine.
Now think about it. Do you want to watch US TV in France THAT badly and you’re ready to sacrifice your privacy by using a free VPN? Or perhaps, you think it’s better to try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days thanks to its money-back guarantee?
Try ExpressVPN Risk-Free For 30 Days
Having in mind ExpressVPN’s unlimited bandwidth, the fastest speeds, and a certified no-logging policy, paying just a few dollars a month isn’t such a bad deal. Keep in mind that ExpressVPN also works with Netflix US, Japan, and Canada, whereas, none of the free VPNs will unblock Netflix.
Bottom Line
The bottom line is that you don’t have to succumb to geo-restrictions and let them dictate what you can do online. As you learned, you can watch American TV channels live in France simply by using ExpressVPN and getting a US IP address.
Although the solution isn’t free, ExpressVPN has a big discount and it comes with a 30-day refund period to make things easier for you. However, you get numerous benefits here, and aside from this benefit, you can protect your privacy, save money on flights, and unblock online bookies abroad.
All you have to do now is go ahead, test it out, and enjoy streaming US television in France – I told you it was going to be easy!
