- In 2026-27, RDS has 45 regional Canadiens games and TVA Sports has 32 national ones, plus every Canadiens playoff game and the Stanley Cup Final in French.
- Prime Video’s 27 Wednesday games are streaming-only and do not appear in an IPTV guide.
- RDS, TVA Sports, TVA, LCN, Noovo, ICI Télé, ICI RDI and Télé-Québec sit in one French group on every plan, with seven days of catch-up.
- Favourite the French group and set the guide to Eastern time so the listings line up in Quebec.
Which French channels are included?
| Channel | Owner | What it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| RDS, RDS2, RDS Info | Bell Media | Regional Canadiens games, Alouettes, Formula 1, sports news |
| TVA Sports, TVA Sports 2 | Quebecor | National French NHL games and the playoffs |
| TVA | Quebecor | News, variety, téléromans |
| LCN | Quebecor | 24-hour news |
| Noovo | Bell Media | Entertainment, reality TV, Noovo Info |
| ICI Télé | CBC/Radio-Canada | Public network: Téléjournal, drama, Tout le monde en parle |
| ICI RDI | CBC/Radio-Canada | 24-hour public news |
| Télé-Québec | Government of Quebec | Children’s shows, documentaries, culture |
The full list, with English and international feeds, is on the channel list page.
Where are Canadiens games in French in 2026-27?
The split changed this season, and it confuses people because the Canadiens now appear on two French networks plus a streaming service.
RDS keeps the regional French rights. Bell Media renewed the deal in 2025, and RDS carries 45 regular-season Canadiens games a season, down from 60 under the old contract.
TVA Sports holds the national French package. On September 3, 2026, Rogers and Quebecor signed a 12-year sublicence running to the end of the 2037-38 season. It covers up to 350 regular-season NHL games in French, including 32 Canadiens games (10 more than before), every Canadiens playoff game, most first- and second-round series, and the conference finals and Stanley Cup Final exclusively.
Prime Video has a separate national Wednesday-night package with 27 games this season, available in English and French to Prime members. Those games are on Prime, not on a TV channel, so they won’t show up in an IPTV guide.
In practice: check RDS first for a regular-season Habs game, then TVA Sports. For playoff hockey in French, TVA Sports is the channel. Our NHL channel finder does this lookup for every team, and the hockey guide covers the English side.
What else is on RDS?
Outside hockey, RDS is the French home of the Montreal Alouettes, with CFL games spread across RDS and RDS2. It also holds exclusive French-language rights to the 2026 Formula 1 season. RDS Info runs scores and highlights around the clock, which is useful on nights when two games overlap.
What’s on TVA Sports besides the NHL?
TVA Sports is built around hockey, and the new deal adds TVA Sports Direct and Vidéotron’s illico+ as places where Quebecor shows those games. On IPTV you get the linear channels, TVA Sports and TVA Sports 2. Some nights a game moves to RDS2 or TVA Sports 2 because the main channel is busy, so add both “2” channels to your favourites.
Check the French group before you pay. The 24-hour free trial includes RDS, TVA Sports, TVA, Noovo and ICI Télé, so you can see how they run on your own connection. Start the free trial
Noovo, TVA and ICI Télé: the general-interest networks
TVA is Quebecor’s main network. Its evening line-up mixes news with the téléromans and variety shows Quebec viewers follow week to week. LCN, its news channel, runs separately.
Noovo is Bell Media’s French network. It started as Télévision Quatre-Saisons (TQS) in 1986, became V in 2009, and took the Noovo name in August 2020. Its newscast has been called Noovo Info since 2023. Expect reality TV, Quebec-made series and talk shows.
ICI Télé is the French arm of CBC/Radio-Canada. The Téléjournal, Sunday-night talk shows and most public-broadcaster drama live here, with ICI RDI as the news channel.
Télé-Québec is the province’s public educational broadcaster, strong on children’s programming and documentaries.
How do you put French channels first in the guide?
Most apps let you reorder or favourite channel groups. The short version:
- In TiviMate, long-press a group name to open its menu. “Hide group” clears out groups you never watch, so the French group moves up the list, and “Show Favorites only” trims a group down to the channels you starred: RDS, TVA Sports, TVA, Noovo and ICI Télé, say. The TiviMate setup guide covers the first-time setup.
- In IPTV Smarters Pro, open Live TV, find the French category, and star the channels you watch.
- Set the guide time zone to Eastern if you’re in Quebec, or the listings will be off by an hour or more. If only one group is off, TiviMate’s “EPG time offset” in the same group menu shifts that group alone. The EPG guide explains the fix.
Programme titles in the guide come from the broadcasters’ own listings, so they show in French.
What IPTV won’t do for French TV
A few limits are worth knowing before you order:
- Prime Video’s Wednesday games, TVA+ originals and ICI TOU.TV Extra exclusives are streaming-only. They aren’t TV channels and aren’t in the guide.
- Audio language follows the broadcaster. RDS and TVA Sports are French-only; if you want English commentary for the same game, switch to the TSN or Sportsnet feed.
- Catch-up keeps seven days. Older episodes aren’t available.
How much does it cost to add the French channels?
Nothing extra. French channels are part of every plan, alongside the 30,000+ live channels. A single-device plan is $18 for one month or $78 for a year; the pricing page shows the two-, three- and four-device plans. You can check the French group, and whether RDS and TVA Sports hold up on your connection, with the 24-hour free trial.
If you live in Quebec, the city guides for Montréal and Québec City cover local teams and the internet providers there.
French-Canadian channels: frequently asked questions
Is RDS included in every plan?
Yes. RDS, RDS2 and RDS Info are in the French group on all plans.
Is TVA Sports on IPTV in 2026-27?
Yes. TVA Sports and TVA Sports 2 are in the guide, and TVA Sports holds the national French NHL package this season, including the playoffs.
Can I watch Noovo and ICI Télé live?
Yes. Both are live channels in the French group, with seven days of catch-up.
Can I get French commentary for a game shown on Sportsnet?
Only if a French network carries the same game. Check the NHL channel finder for RDS or TVA Sports.
Does the support team speak French?
Yes. You can write to support on WhatsApp in French or English.
Disclosure: we run BuyIPTV.ca, an IPTV service for Canadian households, so weigh our take accordingly. Broadcast rights and prices are correct as of October 2026.