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Free Live TV & Podcasts for Learning Languages
Learning a language becomes much more interesting when you can hear it being used outside a textbook.Select a language to get started.
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TV, live broadcasts and podcasts give you access to different voices, accents, expressions and everyday ways of speaking. You don’t need to understand everything. The idea is to find something you can partly follow and come back to regularly.
One of the best ways to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it. There isn’t one perfect method for everyone. In the end, what matters is how much time, effort and regular practice you put into using the language.
One simple way to immerse yourself is to listen to native speakers regularly and get used to how the language actually sounds. Try watching the news, listening to podcasts, or following other content in the language you’re learning. You don’t need to understand every word at first. Even 15–30 minutes of regular listening can help you become more familiar with the sounds, rhythm and expressions of the language.
Below, we’ve collected a small selection of useful TV and podcast resources for Spanish, English, French, German, Italian and Portuguese.
Some are made specifically for language learners, while others are regular TV, radio or podcast platforms in the language itself. Both can be useful at different stages of learning.
Learn Spanish with 24/7 Live TV & Podcasts
📺 RTVE Play
RTVE Play is the streaming platform of Spain’s public broadcaster. It includes live channels as well as series, documentaries, news, entertainment and other on-demand content in Spanish.
It’s a useful place to move beyond language-learning material and start hearing Spanish used in real programs.
🎧 Coffee Break Spanish
Coffee Break Spanish is designed specifically for Spanish learners, with lessons that progress from beginner material toward more advanced listening.
It’s a good starting point if regular Spanish TV still feels too fast.
🎧 Spanish Language Coach
The Intermediate Spanish Podcast from Spanish Language Coach uses clear, engaging Spanish for intermediate learners.
Intermediate Spanish Podcast – Español Intermedio →
Episodes include a free transcript and vocabulary flashcards, making it easier to follow along and pick up useful expressions.
Learn English with TV, News & Podcasts
📺 BBC News (British English)
BBC News provides English-language news, video, live streams and international reporting.
Even when the live stream isn’t available in your country, the site’s videos and other English content can still provide useful listening practice.
🎧 BBC Podcast & 6 Minute English
BBC Podcast and 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English use short conversations to introduce useful vocabulary and natural spoken English. Episodes come with transcripts and learning materials, making it easier to check what you heard.
The short format also makes it easy to fit into a busy day.
📺 ABC News Live (American English)
A 24/7 news stream from ABC News that gives learners regular exposure to American English, including different speakers, accents, interviews and everyday news vocabulary.
It’s also useful for getting familiar with natural American pronunciation, pacing and vocabulary used in everyday news and interviews.
Learn French with Live News & Podcasts
📺 France 24
France 24 provides continuous French-language news coverage, along with reports and programs covering international and French current affairs.
News can be challenging at first, but it gives you exposure to clear pronunciation, recurring vocabulary and different speakers.
🎧 Little Talk in Slow French
Little Talk in Slow French uses conversations and everyday topics to help learners become more comfortable with spoken French.
Little Talk in Slow French →
It’s particularly useful when ordinary French still feels a little too fast.
German TV, Videos & Podcasts
📺 DW
Deutsche Welle offers German-language television and video content alongside its wider media service. DW also provides audio and video content on demand, as well as German-learning material.
For learners, it gives you a useful bridge between structured German lessons and regular German media.
🎧 Easy German
Easy German focuses on real German spoken by native speakers. The podcast covers everyday topics, words and expressions, and episodes are also available as videos. Transcripts and additional vocabulary tools are available through its membership.
It’s especially useful when you want to hear German that feels closer to everyday conversation.
Looking for more German resources? See our full guide to YouTube channels and podcasts for learning German.
Free Italian TV & Podcasts
📺 RaiPlay
RaiPlay is Rai’s free streaming platform, with live TV channels as well as a large catalogue of on-demand programs, series, films, documentaries and other content.
It’s a useful way to hear Italian in a more natural, everyday context, beyond structured language lessons.
🎧 Podcast Italiano
Podcast Italiano, created by Italian teacher Davide Gemello, offers podcasts and videos for people learning Italian. There is content for different levels, including a beginner series, while the main podcast includes conversations and natural Italian about culture and everyday subjects.
If you’re not ready for full-speed Italian media yet, the beginner content gives you an easier place to start.
Podcasts & Live TV for Portuguese Language Learners
📺 RTP Play
RTP Play is the online platform of Portugal’s public broadcaster. It offers live TV and radio as well as a large catalogue of programs available on demand. RTP says the service includes more than 20 live TV and radio streams.
This is particularly useful if you’re learning European Portuguese and want to hear the language as it is used in Portugal.
🎧 Practice Portuguese
Practice Portuguese focuses specifically on European Portuguese from Portugal. Its podcast includes conversations about everyday situations, vocabulary and expressions, with recent episodes covering subjects such as greetings and talking with neighbours.
Practice Portuguese Podcast →
There is also a European Portuguese Shorties podcast with short dialogues and articles designed for listening practice.
How to Use These Resources
You don’t need to subscribe to ten different podcasts or watch hours of TV every day.
Try something simpler:
Start with something you can partly understand.
If every sentence sounds completely unfamiliar, choose something easier.
Listen for meaning first.
You don’t need to stop every few seconds to look up a word.
Use subtitles or transcripts when they’re available.
They can help you connect the sounds you’re hearing with the words you already know.
Notice useful expressions.
If you hear the same phrase several times, write it down and pay attention to how people actually use it.
Come back regularly.
Ten minutes with one resource several times a week can be more useful than a huge list of resources you never return to.
And don’t worry if you understand much less at first than you expected. Real media contains different voices, speeds, accents and expressions. That is part of what makes it different from a language lesson.
Choose Something You’d Actually Watch or Listen To
The most useful resource is often the one you’ll actually come back to.
Maybe that’s a Spanish TV program, an Italian podcast, German interviews, French news or Portuguese conversations about everyday life.
You don’t have to turn every listening session into a study session.
Sometimes it’s enough to simply hear the language.
The more familiar the voices, expressions and rhythms become, the less strange the language can feel when you eventually hear it in a real conversation.
So pick one TV resource and one podcast in the language you’re learning. You don’t need to understand everything before you begin. You just need something worth listening to.