This hidden VLC feature lets you stream thousands of free TV channels
Most people know VLC as the little orange traffic cone that can play just about any video file you throw at it. But it can also stream video and audio straight from the internet.
This feature is called “Open Network Stream,” and you’ll find it under Media > Open Network Stream in the VLC Player app. You can also press Ctrl + N to jump straight there. Paste in a supported stream URL then click Play and VLC will start streaming the content.
The best way I’ve found to use this is with IPTV. The open-source IPTV-org project on GitHub keeps a massive collection of publicly available, legal TV streams from around the world. Its playlists include thousands of channels covering news, sports, entertainment, music, local TV, and more.
Past IPTV’s network URL into the VLC Media Player Open Network Stream dialogue box to start streaming.
Sam Singleton
To give it a try, copy IPTV-org’s main playlist URL, paste the link into the network stream in VLC, and click Play. VLC will load the playlist, and begin streaming. You can then browse the available channels under Toggle Playlist. If you aren’t interested in the full list, then you can download individual playlists from the IPTV Github sorted by country, language, region, and category instead.
Not every channel is going to work all the time though. Streams can go offline, move to a new address, or be restricted in certain regions. Still, it’s a pretty neat way to stream content for free from all over the world.
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