The easiest way to watch TV from your home country in Australia is an IPTV service with international channels: one app on your TV or phone gives you live channels from more than 115 countries, with a programme guide and on-demand titles. You only need a stable internet connection of about 10 to 15 Mbps per screen.
Nearly a third of people living in Australia were born overseas, so keeping up with news, shows and sport from home is a very common need. This guide compares the options and explains how to get the best experience.
Your options for international TV in Australia
There are a few ways to watch channels from overseas, each with strengths and limits:
- SBS: free-to-air and online, with news programmes from many countries in their original languages.
- Broadcasters' own apps: some overseas channels offer international subscriptions, usually one country or network at a time.
- Satellite: specialised dishes can receive some foreign channels, but installation is complex and choice depends on what reaches Australia.
- IPTV: channels from many countries in one subscription and one app, on the devices you already own.
Why IPTV suits multicultural households
In many homes, different family members want different countries: parents follow news from home, children watch Australian programmes, and everyone watches the big match. IPTV puts all of this in a single guide, so nobody needs separate subscriptions or boxes.
With our service you get 45,000+ live channels from 115+ countries, including channels from the UK, India, Pakistan, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, plus 98,000+ movies and series on demand.
Getting the programme guide right
Australia has several time zones, and daylight saving applies in New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania and South Australia, but not in Queensland, Western Australia or the Northern Territory. Overseas countries change their clocks on different dates too, so a guide that was correct in winter can be an hour out in summer.
If the guide does not match what is on screen, open the EPG settings in your IPTV app and adjust the time offset until it does. TiviMate and IPTV Smarters both have this option.
Live events in a different time zone
Sport, elections and festivals overseas happen in their local time, which can mean the middle of the night in Australia. Where a channel offers catch-up, you can open the guide and watch a programme from earlier in the day. Recording, which some apps support with enough storage, is another option.
The internet speed you need
International channels use the same bandwidth as any other: about 10 Mbps per screen in HD, 15 Mbps in Full HD and 25 Mbps in 4K. Channels that travel a long way can be more sensitive to unstable connections, so connecting the TV with a network cable helps even more than usual.
If you are not sure your plan is fast enough, our IPTV speed calculator works out what your home needs.
Choose the right device for the family
For the main TV, a Fire TV Stick 4K or a Google TV with TiviMate gives the smoothest guide and the fastest channel changes. Older family members often find a large, simple guide on the TV much easier than an app on a phone. For other rooms, a phone or tablet app such as IPTV Smarters works well.
Choose a plan with enough screens: if two people want to watch different channels at the same time, you need a 2-screen plan.
Popular regions among our customers
Australia's communities are diverse, and so are the channel lists people ask us about most:
- The UK and Ireland: news, entertainment and sport channels.
- South Asia: channels from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal in many languages.
- The Middle East and North Africa: Arabic news, entertainment and religious channels.
- East and South-East Asia: channels from the Philippines, Vietnam, China and more.
- Europe: Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, French and other channels.
Keeping children connected to their language
Many parents use international TV to help their children keep the family language. Cartoons and children's programmes in that language make practice feel like entertainment rather than homework. Add a few children's channels to a separate favourites list so they are easy to find, and use the app's parental controls to hide categories that are not suitable.
Tips for older family members
Grandparents are often the people who miss TV from home most, and the ones who find new technology hardest. Set up the main TV so it opens straight into the IPTV app, put their favourite channels at the top of a short list and write the three or four remote buttons they need on a small card. Once it is set up, most people watch happily without help.
Check your channels before you buy
Every family has its own must-have channels. Write a short list, ask for our free 24-hour trial and check each one in the evening. Tell us which country you are interested in when you message us on WhatsApp, and we will point you to the right channel categories.
Frequently asked questions
Can I watch channels from my home country in Australia?
Yes. With an IPTV service that includes international channels, you can watch channels from more than 115 countries over your internet connection, on your TV, phone or computer.
Why are the programme times wrong for overseas channels?
The guide may show the channel's home time instead of yours. Most IPTV apps have an EPG time offset setting: adjust it by the number of hours needed until the guide matches what is on screen.
Can I watch live events from overseas at a normal hour?
Live events follow the time where they happen, which can mean very early mornings in Australia. Some channels offer catch-up, which lets you watch recent programmes later from the programme guide.