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English is, right now, the most useful language to speak in the world. It is our lingua franca as it is the most spoken language in 2024, just behind Chinese. It is also used in all the inhabitable continents. In this case, you need to learn and master it. You first need to choose which dialect of English you think will be more necessary for you. For example, do you prefer American or British English? After you have chosen your type of English, there is a plethora of television platforms to watch content from. It will help you out. If we take geography out of the equation, streaming sites such as Netflix, Apple TV+, Paramount+, and many others offer English-language shows. Of course, you will need a paid subscription since these applications do not have any content for free.
Except these, most of the television channels in Canada and the US are available at no cost online. On the other hand, you will probably need a virtual private network, commonly known as a VPN, if you are not already in one of these countries. It is important to note that not all nations in the world consider VPNs legal, and not all the best ones are free. In Canada and the United States, as in most European states, they are legal. For the uninitiated, a VPN is used to make the website think that your device is located in that same country, and therefore, that the content is considered local and available to you. Knowing that most people learn the variants of English from the United States and the United Kingdom, here are online platforms that will be most useful to you as you learn the language of Shakespeare. Sites from Canada and Oceania are also included if you are looking for these specific variants of English.
Canada
CBC
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, or CBC, is the Canadian BBC. It is funded by the federal government, like its French counterpart the Société Radio-Canada. In addition to news and current affairs, CBC broadcasts programs such as documentaries, quizzes of all kinds, children’s programming, films, and thirty-minute and one-hour series. On their website, you can choose the Canadian region of your choice, and get personalized news and advertising.
CBC Gem
This platform, like its predecessor, is owned by the Government of Canada. CBC Gem presents the content of the CBC and many more. You can watch the same news on this site and listen again to any programming you might have missed. Gem contains additional Canadian and foreign documentaries, films and series that do not necessarily appear on regular television. Some of these are behind the platform’s subscription. However, they do not stay that way for long, playing on the channel later. Then, there is not much point in paying, as the base is sufficient.
CTV
CTV is one of the numerous channels owned by Bell Media. If you are interested in the news, you will have to go to their main website, CTV News, or their YouTube page. If you are looking for other content, CTV is also the place to go. Not everything is free as most of the items are blocked by a paywall or a cable provider affiliation. However, you can still have content at no cost that you can enjoy such as series, and reality tv shows.
Global
This channel is owned by another group, Chorus Entertainment. You can watch their news report from your country live on Global News. You can also get some of their reporting and investigation via their YouTube page but rarely live content. On the Global app, you can listen to a lot of tv series, films, and documentaries on the free page, as some of the content is behind a cable provider affiliation.
United States
ABC
ABC is one of the leading television corporations in the United States. Unfortunately, the American Broadcasting Company offers only news for free. To see most of their television series, you need to have an account with a cable provider based in the US. If you just arrived in the country and got an account, you can match the two and have more content for free. It is worth it if you have the capacity to make it work.
CBS
Paramount+ is owned by the Columbia Broadcasting Service. The platform is not free. However, the cost is no different than most of the streaming platforms like Netflix. One thing free is CBS News, which you can watch directly on their website. If you own a Samsung tablet set in America or have a Roku Stick while being in Canada and the United States, you can also watch it there. It is one of the best news channels in America. You will learn a lot by listening to and watching it.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is another major player in the United States. Like most of his competitors, you need to be linked with an American cable provider to make it work. If you cannot do this, you can have access to NBC News directly on their website, YouTube, or on some of the tablets that have Samsung TV. And this, for free.
PBS
PBS is the primary state-owned medium in the United States. The Public Broadcasting Service is available online, for free, without the need for a VPN … for me. I do live close to Vermont, which means I might have access to it by default. Only a small part of the library is locked as it is regional content. You need to connect it with an existing account of the local channel. Still, most of the content is free. It mostly contains news and documentaries of every kind. It is worth it.
Pluto TV
Pluto TV is available for free online, no matter what you are watching. You will need to use a VPN to have American or Canadian content for example as if you do not do it, you will have content from your country and around, and so, in your native language. It is similar to Roku TV and others of that kind. There are a lot of television series, movies, stand-ups, documentaries, music, news, and many more. If you do not have any money to spend other than for the VPN, Pluto is one of the best platforms for you.
Tubi TV
Tubi is one platform completely free, and you do not even need an account or a VPN. You go to the website and watch! They make money out of publicity to not let you pay anything. The platform contains a lot of movies, television series, and documentaries. However, there are fewer blockbusters as there are more B-movies, which cost less for the company to obtain. Bear in mind that does not mean it is not good!
TV Land
TV Land is the platform for you if you are looking for older sitcoms and movies. It is free with the use of a VPN. If you want to watch their live television channel, you will need to be connected with a cable provider but you do have enough content just with the website. Sitcoms are part of the American culture and so, you should listen to some to help you learn this type of English.
United Kingdom
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is an example for most of the other countries having state-owned television services. You will definitely need a VPN to use the website and an account. However, the platform is free. You can watch news from the United Kingdom and abroad, television series, movies, comedies, documentaries, music shows, sports, and many more. If you are learning British English, it is one of the platforms to use.
SKY
Sky is one of the “not so free” platforms. However, if you can afford it, you should definitely take it, especially if you are learning British English. There is a plethora of television series on the platform, movies, news, and sports. On their sports channel, they present a lot of matches from the Premier League, which might be a plus for you if you are learning English by sports.
Australia & New Zealand
ABC
This platform is pretty similar to the BBC and the CBC. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation offers free content for those having an account. You will also need a VPN as it is a country further away. They do offer news, but also television series, films, sports, home and design shows, and many more. If you are learning English to go to Oceania, like Australia, you should listen to and watch content from this platform.
TVNZ
Television New Zealand offers exclusively free content. You will also need a VPN and preferably an account to watch the content. You can watch news from the country, series, films, and documentaries. One good thing about the platform is that they do offer some content in Māori, the second official language of the country. It is not a lot but it is better than nothing. You might need to learn the language along with English if you go to New Zealand. With this platform, a sure thing you will learn a lot and discover new series!
With all these platforms, you should have enough shows and series to speed up, or at least improve, your learning of English. Most have a free base, with a subscription or pay-per-view component, which is not always necessary to acquire. Only a small portion of websites are 100% subscription-based. The content you choose to watch and listen to will, of course, depend on the type of English you decide to learn. There are obviously more people learning American English than every other type because they consider the United States leader of the world. Of course, all the dialects of Shakespeare’s language and the places where they are spoken have something interesting to offer. First of all, make sure you have a good VPN operating in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Prices are quite different, because yes, this system is not free. On the other hand, your usage should make the cost worthwhile. Next, watch something light on one of these platforms, like cartoons for example, so you can see your level of understanding. You will then be in a better position to judge your abilities and listen to something that you really need. Enjoy your show!
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