World TV

Watching television from around the world is a great way to have fun and learn to see the world from a new point of view.  The Global Studio partners with Boatwright Library and Telecommunications and Media Services to provide television programming from beyond the US.

Are you having problems viewing a specific channel or stream?  Please report your issue.  This is a new system, so we appreciate your assistance and your patience as we work to keep it stable.

On the University cable system:

  • Channel 13:  SCOLA (SCOLA broadcasts TV from around the world.  All SCOLA channels are available via computer.  See below.)
  • Channel 15:  HITN (Spanish in North America)
  • Channel 23-13:  Mhz Worldview (news and entertainment from around the world)
  • Channel 25:  LinkTV  (slogan is ‘Connecting You to the World’)  On the computer network:

Nine streams of world television are available on all wired computers in academic buildings.  (Licensing prohibits viewing these streams via wireless and in residence halls.)

These streams can be viewed using the VLC Media Player, available free and already installed on all University computers.  The easiest way to view the streams is to download the playlist for the stream(s) you want to view and double-click the playlist to open the VLC player.  The first stream in the playlist will open automatically.

Note:  The URLs listed are for the standard location of each channel.  However, these may change when necessary to maintain access to a stream.  When the URLs change, the downloadable playlists will be updated.

Right-click on the link to download the playlist file.

Streams:
  • Africa and the Middle East 1:  Arabic (239.100.20.10)
  • Africa and the Middle East 2: Hebrew (239.100.20.15)
    • This stream often doesn’t work; use Stream 9 instead, please.
  • Americas 1: Spanish (239.100.20.20 and 239.100.20.55)
  • Americas 2: Portuguese (239.100.20.25)
  • Asia 1:  Chinese (239.100.20.30 and 239.100.20.50)
  • Asia 2:  Japanese (239.100.20.35)
  • Europe 1: French (239.100.20.40)
  • Europe 2: Italian (239.100.20.45)
  • Africa and the Middle East:  Hebrew  (239.100.20.50)
    • This is a duplicate of Stream 2, because Stream 2 is often down.
  • Europe 3: Spanish from Spain (239.100.20.55)
Playlist for Streams 1 – 5 Playlist for Streams 6 – 10

Missing Languages?

German:  The Studio lost its Deutsche Welle broadcasts in German; Deutsche Welle broadcasts to North America in English only.  However, there is a Deutsche Welle site and an app (look for it in the iOS or Android app store) where you can find archived material in German.  In addition, you can find entertainment programming as well as news on a variety of sites and apps.  Three good sites, although there are often region restrictions on the live streams, are Das Erste Mediathek, ZDF, and Tagesschau24.  There are apps for these as well.

Russian:  Dish, our satellite TV provider, dropped all its Russian programming without notice.  Look for Russian on a portal site like wwwitv.com. You might also try MoskaTV.  There are also subscription services and apps like Kartina TV.

Other Languages?  It’s usually easy to find TV programming in other languages through a portal site like wwwitv.com.  SCOLA (see below) is another excellent source for anyone with access to the University of Richmond computer network.  YouTube, Vimeo, and other services often have programming in languages other than English.  Finally, if you need help finding programming, contact the Global Studio Director for help.

SCOLA

SCOLA is a service that provides 8 channels of television from around the world.  SCOLA recently changed its channel line-up; if you are interested in a specific language–except for Chinese, which is on channel 3–you must search by country or language.  To search, you must be subscribed.  Boatwright Library and the Global Studio collaborate to provide all members of the University of Richmond community with subscription access to all SCOLA services.  You must be on the University of Richmond computer network (either on campus or running the University’s VPN) to access SCOLA services.  Go to library.richmond.edu > research databases > s > SCOLA for full access without username or password.  This works only through a browser.  If you wish to use SCOLA’s mobile app, contact the Global Studio (gmail address:  urglobalstudio) for a username and password.

SCOLA offers a number of services in addition to live television streaming.  SCOLA channels are archived on line for one week, so you can download recent video that interests you.  A particularly valuable service is Insta-Class, short video segments with transcripts and translations that one can use for language study.  The Global Studio maintains an archive of Insta-Class lessons downloaded before the University was granted online access for everyone.  You must be on the University network to access these files.

Additional Ways to Watch World Television:

  • Many television stations and media outlets make their programming available on line.  The Global Studio is building lists of useful programming and including them on its new Resources for Independent Language Learning site.  Contribute your suggestions in the comments.
  • World television and radio is also available through a number of apps.  As the Studio discovers apps, it includes them on the Resources for Independent Language Learning site.  Contribute your suggestions in the comments.