How about turning your smartphone into an extra TV? With a Wi-Fi Internet connection or a comfortable data plan, a free app is all it takes to watch live or replay TV programs.
In the car, on public transport, in a vacation home or just at home, while another family member is monopolizing the TV, watching TV on another screen is no longer a problem these days. . A smartphone can easily do the trick, especially when you put it in landscape mode. Equipped with a beautiful screen – sometimes with a definition higher than that of the living room TV – and an Internet connection, our daily companion has all the necessary ingredients to serve as a mini TV. Convenient to not miss any TV program from TNT (Digital Terrestrial Television) channels broadcast live or in replay.
To take advantage of it, there are plenty of solutions. The simplest is based on the free Molotov.tv service. Also available for free watching TV on a computer, the Molotov.tv app for iPhone and Android mobiles has a simple and intuitive interface. However, it does not take into account the TV channel packages potentially included in your xDSL, cable or fiber Internet subscription. To take advantage of these additional channels, you will need to turn to your operator’s official app: Orange TV for Orange, SFR TV at SFR, B.TV from Bouygues Télécom and Freebox Companion at Free. But beware, with the exception of Free and Bouygues which offer free access to mobile TV in their subscriptions, you will have to check that this option is indeed available in your package, at no extra charge. This is useful, especially if your ISP (Internet Service Provider) for home Internet access differs from the operator selected for your mobile subscription.
Of course, you can also download the application dedicated to a channel or a set of channels to your mobile. For example MyTF1 for the channels of the TF1 group (TF1, TMC, TFX and LCI), 6Play for the channels of the M6 group (M6, W9, 6Ter, Gulli, Téva, etc.), France TV for all the channels of France Television ( France 2, France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Info), MyCanal for the channels of the Canal + group (but which also includes the TNT channels) and so on. However, this unnecessarily multiplies the number of apps to install on your mobile. Especially since for some (TF1 and M6), you will need to create a free account to access it. Not practical on a daily basis.
Finally, there is an essential point before you start: the Internet connection of your smartphone. No problem if you use the Wi-Fi of your Internet box or any other access point, as long as the speed exceeds 4 Mbits / s. But it is quite different if you use the mobile data of your telephone plan, whether it is 4G or 5G, because television, like streaming video, consumes a lot of data. If your plan allows you to use a few gigabytes (GB) per month, you will need to carefully monitor your consumption so as not to exceed the volume allocated by your operator and pay additional costs.
Last detail, all the solutions we indicate here also work on tablets, with a Wi-Fi connection: the comfort on a larger screen is even better …
How to watch TV on a smartphone with Molotov.tv ?
The free Molotov.tv app remains by far the most convenient and enjoyable way to watch TV on a mobile. No matter which operator you have chosen for your package, it gives you access to all TNT channels and their replay. And it works just as well on Android as on iOS!
- Install the Molotov.tv app on your iOS or Android smartphone.
Download Molotov.tv for Android
- Launch the app. If you do not yet have an account with the service, press the button Register for free.
- On the page that appears, enter a valid email address and provide a password. Specify your date of birth and your sex and validate by pressing Register.
- In the next window, press the button Not now in order to decline the free trial of the paid version (billed € 3.99 per month at the end of the first month). You can change your decision later.
- The Molotov.tv home page immediately appears on the screen. It presents the programs being broadcast live at this time. Scroll through the section thumbnails Now on Live TV to find out what content is available.
- Press one of the thumbnails to access the program overview page. You will be able to consult its summary and its cast, as well for the TV shows as for the films or the series.
- Press the yellow button To look at to join the live broadcast. The program is displayed immediately.
- Short press the screen to display the options. As with the TV decoder of your Internet box, you can pause the broadcast, go back, etc. Note that depending on your smartphone model, an option allowing the image to occupy the entire screen surface may be available at the bottom right. If you want to increase or decrease the screen brightness, slide your finger up or down.
- To zap, nothing could be simpler: slide your finger to the left or right of the screen to go to the previous or next channel. You can also press the icon in the shape of a remote control present on the right of the screen. A section is then deployed comprising all of the programs currently broadcast.
- To end the broadcast, press briefly on the screen then on the cross nestled at the top left.
- Molotov.tv allows to filter the programs to help you find the one you want. From the home page, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to scroll through the categories or tap the icon To explore magnifying glass at the very bottom.
- Choose the category that interests you from the list.
- Then scroll through the corresponding programs and press the one you want to join the broadcast.
- To monitor your data usage if you are using Molotov.tv with a 4G connection and not through a Wi-Fi network, press the wheel notched at the top right of the screen (on Android) or on icon in the form of silhouette at the top left of the screen on iPhone.
- Scroll down to the menu Video quality and press it.
- Molotov.tv offers you several options to monitor your consumption by adjusting the quality of the videos. With the mode Weak, you will consume 1 GB of data for four hours of viewing. The mode Standard reduces the time to two hours for the same amount of data and mode Raised just one hour away. And if you are worried about your package, you can opt for the option Block (Wi-Fi only). You will not be able to watch TV while connected to 4G. As for the mode unlimited, it is aimed at those who benefit from very generous data plans. The display quality is at this time the best possible.
How to watch TV on mobile with operator apps?
Orange, SFR, Bouygues and Free each have an app to access television on smartphones. But beware, even if the app is free, depending on your plan and your operator, this option may be chargeable. Carefully check the options included in your mobile and / or fixed Internet plan before installing the app to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Orange TV
Access to television via the Orange app is available to Livebox and Open customers, but also to those who simply have a mobile plan with the operator. Sosh Internet users must request it for free. On the other hand, it is billed at € 1 per month for Sosh mobile customers.
SFR TV
Free for customers with cable, ADSL, fiber and mobile access, the SFR TV application also offers, depending on the package, the use of the TV channel package (s) to which the operator has subscribed on their mobile. For RED by SFR customers, on the other hand, it will be necessary to proceed to the cash register. Between 2 and 4 € monthly depending on the chosen formula.
B. TV (Bouygues Télécom)
Bouygues Télécom is rather generous. Its application is available and usable free of charge for all users of its fixed or mobile network. And for those who have the unlimited B.tv option, the data consumption linked to streaming is not deducted from the data plan.
Freebox Companion
Free does not distinguish between its Freebox and Free mobile subscribers. All can enjoy access to TV on their smartphone at no extra charge. The app also allows you to program recordings on its box.
Download Freebox Companion for iOS
Download Freebox Companion for Android
