Portuguese TV Online to Immerse Yourself in European Portuguese
Watching TV from Portugal online has some undeniable advantages.
Not only can you hear all the Portuguese phrases you’d learn in conventional Portuguese language classes, you’ll go beyond that since your learning material will also be vast and varied.
And thankfully, there are plenty of Portuguese TV networks that put material online or even live stream shows for easy access.
In this post, we’ll discover five websites where you can watch TV from Portugal online!
Contents
- Why Watch Portuguese TV Online?
- How to Use TV from Portugal for Captivating Learning
- 5 Online Portuguese TV Websites for European Portuguese Learning
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Why Watch Portuguese TV Online?
Watching Portuguese TV online has many advantages for anyone looking to learn European Portuguese.
It provides you with a constant supply of new learning material. Like Portuguese YouTube channels, online TV provides new resources every day, so you never have to worry about using up a finite supply of learning materials.
By the time you get caught up on the latest new Portuguese TV clips, there will already be newer clips waiting for you.
Leaning a language isn’t just about the language itself—it’s about the culture that created it! With TV shows from Portugal, you can learn timely, current information. Watching Portuguese TV online can help you stay abreast of current issues and current popular shows, celebrities and more.
By watching news in particular, you’ll also get useful, thematic vocabulary that’s relevant to the problems and goings on of the day.
With Portuguese TV online, it’s also easy to have an immersive experience, wherever you are. Since TV broadcasting out of Portugal usually uses exclusively Portuguese, you’ll be surrounded by the language.
Between the programming and the commercials, it’s easy to immerse yourself in the language through online TV.
How to Use TV from Portugal for Captivating Learning
Watch the same program consistently
Whether you’re watching live streams or clips in the network’s archives, try to watch the same program or programs. Individual programs often use similar vocabulary and speaking styles across broadcasts, building familiarity and giving you more opportunity to practice new vocabulary in context.
Plus, whenever you start watching a new program, there’s usually an adjustment period. It may take you a few viewings to understand the format and/or speakers’ accents.
Watching the same program consistently can take away the extra adjustment period of switching between shows, giving you more opportunity to focus exclusively on the language.
Choose what program to watch based on what thematic vocabulary you want to learn
You can often determine what sort of vocabulary will be used due to the nature of the program, so choose which programs to watch based on what vocabulary you want to learn.
For instance, if you want to learn sports vocabulary, watch a sports program. If you want to gain a more professional vocabulary, try watching news broadcasts or business programs.
Use online TV to practice regional variations
There are some regional variations in pronunciation and vocabulary within Portugal. By paying attention to where each station broadcasts out of, you can practice some of these regional variations so they don’t catch you off-guard if you encounter them down the road.
You can also use TV programming to focus on a particular region if you plan to move or travel there.
5 Online Portuguese TV Websites for European Portuguese Learning
RTP
RTP, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (Radio and Television of Portugal), isn’t just one TV station. Instead, it’s several channels, each with a slightly different focus.
This is a public service broadcasting network, which means it’s state-owned. However, it does still feature advertisements to help fund it.
The RTP channels include:
- RTP1, the main channel, features general programs like news, talk shows, TV shows and more.
- RTP2 focuses on more intellectual content, including documentaries, classical music and children’s educational programming (without commercial interruption).
- RTP3 is a 24-hour news channel.
- RTP Internacional (RTP International) is aimed largely at Portuguese speakers in other parts of the world, including Africa, Brazil and Macao.
- RTP África (RTP Africa) is a basic cable channel focused on Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa.
All of these channels broadcast free online. In addition, you can view previously aired programming online whenever you want, making it easy to stay up to date on your favorite programs.
RTV
RTV, Regiões Televisão (Regions Television), is a cable television channel. While its focus was originally on the northern part of Portugal, it now covers all regions.
RTV’s programs focus largely on news, nature, business and weather. RTV broadcasts live online, much of which is done through YouTube, meaning you can watch programs online or through your Roku or Smart TV.
RTV’s YouTube channel features both brief videos and some complete programs. You can also view video clips of recent programs through the website.
TVI
Televisão Independente (Independent Television) is a leading Portuguese TV channel. It broadcasts many reality shows and soap operas, though you’ll also find movies, sports, news and more.
TVI allows you to watch TV live online. The handy guide below the stream even shows you what’s coming up in the lineup.
In addition to the live stream, you can watch brief clips of your favorite shows to catch up on what you missed and whet your palette for your next live viewing.
And if you like TVI, why stop there? It also has a number of sister channels, such as news channel TVI24.
Sport TV
If you can’t get enough sports, Sport TV might be the Portuguese TV channel you’re looking for.
This channel is based out of Portugal and covers all the latest and greatest news about an array of sports, including basketball, racing and, of course, soccer.
Okay, there’s a lot of soccer, so you may have to work a little harder to find other coverage. But let’s be real: you could always stand to hear a commentator shout “GOL!” (“GOAL!”).
While you can’t watch live coverage or full games, the website offers plenty of video clips to infuse your Portuguese education with some sports vocabulary.
Porto Canal
Porto Canal (Porto Channel) is a Portuguese channel based out of the northern Portuguese city of Porto.
This private regional station offers some general programming, along with region-specific programming, giving you an excellent opportunity to familiarize yourself with the pronunciation variations in Northern Portugal.
Programs cover news, sports, entertainment and culture.
You can stream current programs by clicking on the schedule that appears on the right side of the screen (just scroll down to find it).
Porto Canal also uploads countless new videos each day. Videos range from just a few minutes to over 40 minutes, so you’ll have plenty of viewing options even if you aren’t watching live.
Check out these five resources for watching TV from Portugal online to stream your way toward fluency!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
