The easiest way to watch Italian TV channels in Australia is an IPTV service with an Italian section: one app on your TV, Fire TV Stick or phone gives you live Italian news, fiction series, entertainment, cooking and sport channels, with a programme guide and films on demand. About 10 Mbps per screen is enough for HD.
More than 220,000 people in Australia speak Italian at home, according to the 2021 Census, and many more have Italian heritage. From post-war migrants in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide to young Italians who arrived recently, a lot of households still want TV from Italy.
Two generations, different habits
Italian-Australian families often include long-settled grandparents who arrived decades ago and younger relatives who moved recently. The first group usually wants traditional news, Sunday variety programmes and Mass. The second follows current series, talk shows and football. IPTV covers both in one guide.
Italian channel categories
Italian sections on IPTV are usually organised like this:
- National public and private channels with news and current affairs.
- Italian fiction series and films.
- Entertainment, talk shows and variety.
- Cooking and lifestyle channels.
- Sport channels.
- Regional channels from different parts of Italy.
- Religious programmes, including Sunday Mass.
Watching Italian prime time from Australia
Italian prime time starts around 9 pm in Rome, which is 5 to 7 in the morning in Sydney and Melbourne. Big live events, such as the music festivals that families watch together each year, run late into the night in Italy and reach Australia during the morning.
Where a channel offers catch-up, open the guide in the evening and play the programme from the start. Many films and series are also in the on-demand section, which has 98,000+ titles.
Football at Australian hours
Weekend matches in Italy are played between Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening Italian time, which is Saturday night to Monday morning in eastern Australia. If you watch live, connect the TV with a network cable so the stream stays stable at the key moments.
The time difference
Italy uses UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer, changing on the last Sundays of March and October. Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide change in the opposite season, while Brisbane and Perth do not change at all. The result is that Sydney and Melbourne are 8, 9 or 10 hours ahead of Rome depending on the time of year, and Perth is 6 or 7 hours ahead.
If the guide does not match the picture, adjust the EPG time offset in your IPTV app.
Speed and devices
Italian channels use about 10 Mbps per screen for HD, 15 Mbps for Full HD and 25 Mbps for 4K. An nbn 50 plan handles two or three screens; our IPTV speed calculator gives an exact figure for your home.
A Fire TV Stick 4K or a Google TV with TiviMate gives the most familiar, set-top-box style guide, and Samsung and LG Smart TVs can run IPTV apps directly. IPTV Smarters works well on phones and tablets.
Learning Italian through TV
Italian is widely taught in Australian schools, and many grandchildren of Italian migrants want to learn the family language. Watching cartoons, cooking programmes and series in Italian is an easy way to practise listening. Add a few of these channels to a separate favourites list for the younger members of the family.
Making it simple for nonna and nonno
For grandparents who have watched Italian TV the same way for decades, a new remote and a new menu can be frustrating. Set the TV to open straight into the IPTV app, put their favourite channels at the top of a short favourites list and show them how to get back to it. A Fire TV Stick remote has only a few buttons, which helps.
Common problems and fixes
If something is not working, start here:
- Programme times are wrong: adjust the EPG time offset, especially after the clocks change in March, April, October or November.
- Freezing during football: use a network cable and avoid big downloads during the match.
- Channel not in the list: use the search, as channel names in the app may differ slightly from those on the TV in Italy.
Choosing the right plan
Think about how many people watch at the same time, not how many TVs you own: the app can be installed on every device in the house. A couple watching together needs one screen. If the grandparents watch Italian news in their own room while the rest of the family watches something else, choose a 2-screen plan, and a 3-screen plan for larger households.
Try the Italian channels for free
Make a list of the Italian channels you care about, ask for our free 24-hour trial on WhatsApp and check them in the evening and early morning. Plans start at A$24 for one month, or A$99 for 12 months on one screen, and you can ask for a full refund within 7 days.
Frequently asked questions
Can I watch Italian TV channels in Australia?
Yes. With an IPTV service that includes Italian channels, you can watch live Italian news, fiction series, entertainment and sport over your internet connection on your Smart TV, Fire TV Stick, phone or computer.
What is the time difference between Italy and Australia?
Sydney and Melbourne are between 8 and 10 hours ahead of Italy, depending on daylight saving in each country. Perth is 6 or 7 hours ahead. Italian prime time usually airs in the early morning in eastern Australia.
Can I watch Italian football in Australia?
Italian sport channels are part of the Italian section, but matches in Italy's evening are played overnight in Australia. Check the sport channels you want during the free trial, and use catch-up where a channel offers it.