Free Streaming TV in Canada | The best options

Free streaming TV in Canada has become incredibly popular. As prices surge across Canada due to inflation, many Canadians are looking for ways to cut back on their bills and save money. One of the first things people look at when it comes to budgeting is entertainment, and, in this day and age, there is no shortage of subscription streaming services available. 

Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney plus, and Crave TV are some of the most popular options, but there are still plenty of Canadians who like good old traditional live TV. However, that no longer means you need to pay a fortune for cable services to watch your favourite shows and episodes. There are several options for free TV streaming in Canada. Here are some free streaming services that you might be interested in. 

The top free streaming TV services in Canada 

Pluto TV

When it comes to the best free TV streaming services in Canada, Pluto might take the top spot. It’s completely free, and you don’t even need to create an account to watch. You can just visit the website and start watching your preferred tv show or movie. You will have to deal with commercials since it is an ad-based platform, but there are thousands of tv shows and movies on offer over 250+ available channels.  You can also stream via your iOS, Android TV and Chromecast devices.

The Roku Channel

With more than 4,000 shows, Roku has a lot on offer, although keep in mind that the on-demand content here tends to be older. You won’t have the latest releases available. While Roku is free and offers high-quality shows and movies, you do need to get a special Roku device called a Roku stick or Roku TV in order to stream content which does require a bit of (simple) set-up. Also, note that Roku content is ad-supported, so you will have to sit through some commercials. 

Tubi

Tubi is another free streaming TV option with a variety of movies, tv shows, and documentaries. Tubi is ad-supported, and the content is a bit older. However, unlike Roku, you don’t need to buy any special device in order to use Tubi. You can watch Tubi on your phone, Xbox, Playstation, PC, Amazon Fire tv, or even through the Apple TV or Roku apps. The user interface is quite good.

CBC Gem

CBC is one of Canada’s original broadcasting companies, and CBC Gem offers a free online platform for Canadians to watch all of their CBC favourites. This includes documentaries, children’s shows, and of course, CBC originals. It is ad-supported, so you will have to watch commercials unless you want to pay to upgrade. That said, you get full episodes of some of the most popular shows. You can also watch CBC news. 

CityNews Toronto

CityNews Toronto offers free 24/7 live streaming in Canada, available on their website. The website also allows you to watch news clips that had been previously streamed over the last few days, along with reading written news stories and listening in on CityNews 680 Live Radio. Keep in mind this is news based, so you won’t find any typical entertainment on this platform.  

CPAC

For those interested in politics, CPAC is an online streaming service that offers live senate coverage and house meetings, keynote speeches, and legislative news. CPAC is all unbiased political news so you can watch what’s going on without any background commentary. 

VICE TV

Vice doesn’t offer your typical TV shows and movies. Instead, you can stream a range of docuseries, vlogs, news, and documentaries on some pretty controversial topics around the world. If you have Vice TV as part of your existing cable, you have full access to all content. However, if you are just a free user your access is more limited. 

Today’s Shopping Choice

Shopaholics can get 24/7 live streaming on Today’s Shopping Choice (formerly The Shopping Channel), which showcases a large variety of retail products ranging from clothing to jewellery, kitchen gadgets to electronics, beauty to fitness and more.  

YouTube

When it comes to the best free streaming sites in Canada, you can’t forget about YouTube. The online platform is full of Vlogs, tv shows, and sometimes even free movies that users can watch online, on their smart TV or on their mobile devices. There are ads unless you pay for the premium service, but YouTube has content for every topic under the sun. 

Omni TV

Omni TV doesn’t have a huge selection compared to some of the other free streaming TV options in Canada. However, what Omni does have that makes it interesting is access to international news as well as some short shows and documentaries on both Canadian and global culture. 

Crunchyroll

If you love anime and manga, then Crunchyroll is worth checking out. This free streaming platform is all anime content and boasts one of the largest selections of anime series in the world. Members who have signed up for Crunchyroll registration will also have access to the library of manga graphic novels. 

Vision TV

Vision TV is included with a lot of Canadian cable companies, but even without cable, you can still access some free content online without having to sign up. Many of the shows and movies available through Vision TV are older, but you can find a good mic of reality TV and documentaries through this platform. 

Streema 

For news enthusiasts, Streema is a cool choice since it hosts inks to live streaming from major Canadian news broadcasters as well as global news networks. That means you can tune into news broadcasts from major cities around the world. Streema offers free streaming for local radio stations as well if you prefer to listen to music or radio broadcasts.

Free TV channels in Canada

The focus of this article has been free streaming TV in Canada, but there are several channels you can watch without having to subscribe to any special cable TV services. These free TV channels in Canada are included in basic cable and cover a variety of subject matter ranging from news to family-friendly shows. Note that the name is a bit deceiving as you still need to pay for basic cable from your service provider. Some channels you can get include:

• Global TV
• Citytv
• CBC
• CTV News
• Bloomberg News
• BNN
• Al Jazeera
• YTV
• Teletoon
• Family
• Treehouse
• CTV Comedy
• Space
• A&E
• Discovery Channel
• Showcase
• OLN
• MTV
• CMT
• Much Music
• MuchMoreMusic
• HGTV
• Food Network

How to Watch Free Streaming TV in Canada

Most platforms only require you to have internet access, so you can visit the dedicated website or maybe an app which makes everything easy. However, if you are looking into different formats like free-to-air or free-to-view combinations, you will need to purchase a decoded and set-top box. This is a one-time purchase but does require a little extra money and work to set up.   

Pros and cons of free streaming TV in Canada

Pros

• These services are free for viewers, and the platforms listed above are legal
• Most free tv shows are available in high-quality formats
• Commercial breaks are short and infrequent compared to traditional cable TV
• Pause, rewind, and fast-forward as you please
• Watch on your time to fit your schedule
• Watch on tv, laptop, smartphone, or tablet 

Cons

• Some free streaming TV in Canada options can be tedious to get up if you aren’t sure what you are doing
• You will likely end up using a lot more of your internet bandwidth
• Not everything is free. Often the most recent content or best content, including NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA, soccer, or other big sporting events are unavailable and/or put behind paywalls. 
• The most popular American streaming apps, such as HBO Max, Paramount Plus, CBS All Access, and Peacock TV aren’t free