How to watch Chinese TV and shows in Australia
In short: if Yangshipin, iQIYI or Tencent Video tell you a show is “only available in mainland China” while you’re in Australia, install Homeway on an Android TV or streaming box, phone or computer, light the moon gate and reopen the app. Samsung, LG and Hisense TVs running VIDAA can’t install it, so plug in a Google TV box instead. Before tuning in to anything live, check the time difference: the east coast is 2–3 hours ahead of Beijing, and Perth is on the same time.
Time difference between Australian cities and Beijing
Beijing is on UTC+8 all year and never changes its clocks. Australia is messier: New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania and South Australia move their clocks forward an hour on the first Sunday of October and back on the first Sunday of April, which adds an hour to the gap with Beijing for half the year. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia stay put. The current daylight saving period runs from October 4, 2026 to April 4, 2027.
| City | April – October | October – April (daylight saving) |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney · Melbourne · Canberra · Hobart | 2 hours ahead of Beijing (UTC+10) | 3 hours ahead (UTC+11) |
| Brisbane · Gold Coast | 2 hours ahead (UTC+10) | No change, still 2 hours ahead |
| Adelaide | 1.5 hours ahead (UTC+9:30) | 2.5 hours ahead (UTC+10:30) |
| Darwin | 1.5 hours ahead (UTC+9:30) | No change, still 1.5 hours ahead |
| Perth | Same time as Beijing (UTC+8) | No change, same as Beijing |
When the CCTV evening news and the Spring Festival Gala air in Australia
Xinwen Lianbo, CCTV’s evening news, starts at 7 p.m. Beijing time every night. The 2027 Spring Festival Gala starts at 8 p.m. Beijing time on Chinese New Year’s Eve, February 5, when south-eastern Australia is on daylight saving time.
| City | Evening news, Apr – Oct | Evening news, Oct – Apr | 2027 Gala starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney · Melbourne · Canberra · Hobart | 9:00 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | Feb 5, 11:00 p.m. |
| Brisbane · Gold Coast | 9:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | Feb 5, 10:00 p.m. |
| Adelaide | 8:30 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | Feb 5, 10:30 p.m. |
| Darwin | 8:30 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | Feb 5, 9:30 p.m. |
| Perth | 7:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. | Feb 5, 8:00 p.m. |
The Gala’s midnight countdown (00:00 on February 6 in Beijing) lands at 3 a.m. in Sydney and Melbourne, 2 a.m. in Brisbane, 2:30 a.m. in Adelaide and right on midnight in Perth. If that’s too late on the east coast, watch the replay in the video app the next day; it works with Homeway just the same. Step-by-step instructions are in watching the Spring Festival Gala abroad.
Which TV or streaming box to buy in Australia
Homeway’s TV app runs on Android TV and Google TV. Here’s how the TVs you’ll find in Australian stores usually break down:
- TCL: most models sold in Australia run Google TV, so you can install it directly.
- Sony: recent models run Google TV or Android TV and work fine.
- Hisense: many Hisense TVs in Australia run VIDAA, which won’t work. Some models run Google TV, so check before you buy.
- Kogan: Kogan’s own-brand TVs use different systems; some Android TV models work, others don’t.
- Samsung and LG: Tizen and webOS can’t install third-party Android apps. See watching on Samsung and LG TVs.
To check your own TV, look at the home screen: if it says “Google TV” or you can open the Google Play Store, you’re good. Otherwise look under Settings, then About, for the system name.
Already own a Samsung, LG or VIDAA Hisense? No need to replace it. Pick up a Google TV box (such as Chromecast with Google TV) from JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman or online, plug it into a spare HDMI port, and install Homeway and the video apps on the box. Look for “Google TV” or “Android TV” on the packaging. Set-top boxes from pay-TV providers generally can’t install third-party apps, so don’t bother with those.
Is your NBN plan fast enough?
Homeway only relays a few requests such as playback authorization; the video itself streams straight from the server nearest to you, so picture quality depends on your home connection. As a guide, 1080p needs a steady 5 Mbps or more, and 4K needs 15–25 Mbps. Typical NBN home plans handle 1080p easily. For reliable 4K on the TV while others in the house are gaming or scrolling in the evening, NBN 50 or above gives you more headroom.
Often the bottleneck isn’t the NBN but the Wi-Fi: a TV in the room farthest from the router, behind a few walls, is the classic cause of buffering. Run an Ethernet cable if you can, or add a mesh node. More fixes are in what to do about buffering.
Prices shown in Australian dollars
New users get a free 7-day trial on first sign-in, on TV, phone and computer, with no card required. After that you drop to the free plan, which you can keep using on one phone indefinitely. To watch on the TV, subscribe to Standard (2 devices) or Family (5 devices), billed monthly. Open the pricing page from Australia and prices are shown in AUD.
Getting started on TV, phone or computer
Living-room TV or box
- Search for “Homeway” in Google Play on the TV and install it. No Google Play? Enter
homeway.tv/tvin a browser or downloader app. Full steps are in the TV install guide. - Open Homeway and scan the QR code on the TV with your phone to sign in.
- Light the moon gate, then open CCTV’s TV app for live channels, or the TV apps of iQIYI, Tencent Video or Mango TV for dramas.
Phone
On Android, follow the Android install guide; on iPhone, download it from the App Store. Sign in, light the moon gate, and you can watch live TV on Yangshipin or catch up on Bilibili on the train.
Computer
On Windows, install the Windows app. On a Mac, or if you’d rather not install software, use the browser extension for Chrome, Edge or Firefox and watch Yangshipin, iQIYI, Tencent Video and other sites right in the browser.
FAQ
Can I sign in to a membership account I registered in China?
Yes. Homeway doesn’t touch your accounts: sign in to the video app with the account you registered in China as usual, and your membership benefits stay the same. Homeway only deals with region restrictions; it doesn’t sell video memberships.
I live in Perth. Do I need to work out a time difference?
No. Perth is on UTC+8 all year, exactly the same as Beijing, and Western Australia has no daylight saving, so shows air at the same clock time for you. Adelaide and Darwin are 1.5 hours ahead of Beijing, and Adelaide is 2.5 hours ahead during daylight saving.
We have a Hisense TV. Can it run Homeway?
It depends on the system. Many Hisense TVs in Australia run VIDAA and can’t install it; Hisense models running Google TV can. For a VIDAA TV, plug in a Google TV box and you’re set, no new TV needed.
Is NBN 25 enough for 4K?
Only just. 4K needs a steady 15–25 Mbps, so NBN 25 may cope when one device is using it but tends to stutter when the whole household is online in the evening. For 1080p, anything over 5 Mbps is enough.
How much does Homeway cost in Australia?
New users get 7 days free with no card required. After that you can keep using it free on one phone; TVs, tablets and computers need a Standard or Family subscription, billed monthly, with prices shown in Australian dollars.
Related: watching CCTV live abroad, which apps Homeway supports, fixing “only available in mainland China”, guides for other countries.
Try Homeway
Free for 7 days for new users, no card required, on your TV, phone and computer in Australia.