How to Watch Chinese TV and Live Channels in Canada
In short: whether you live in Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary, CCTV live channels and popular dramas in Chinese video apps are usually blocked by region restrictions in Canada. Switch on Homeway's moon gate and they play normally, with video still streaming from the server nearest you, so nothing slows down. Your TV needs to run Google TV; if it doesn't, plug in a Google TV box. Subscriptions are priced in Canadian dollars, and new users start with a 7-day free trial.
Time difference between Canadian provinces and Beijing
Canada spans six time zones and the provinces don't all follow the same rules, so start with where you live. Beijing stays on UTC+8 all year. Most provinces change their clocks on the same days as the US: forward on the second Sunday of March and back on the first Sunday of November (this cycle, back on November 1, 2026 and forward on March 14, 2027). Three things to watch for:
- Newfoundland runs half an hour behind Atlantic time, so its gap with Beijing isn't a whole number of hours.
- Saskatchewan never changes its clocks. It matches Alberta in summer and Manitoba in winter.
- British Columbia and Alberta stop falling back from November 1, 2026 and keep summer time all year. Most of BC stays on UTC−7 (as does Yukon), and Alberta stays on UTC−6, the same as Saskatchewan. The tables below use the new rules.
| Region (cities) | Beijing is ahead by (March to November) | Beijing is ahead by (November to March) |
|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland (St. John's) | 10.5 hours | 11.5 hours |
| Atlantic (Halifax, New Brunswick, PEI) | 11 hours | 12 hours |
| Eastern (Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal) | 12 hours | 13 hours |
| Central (Winnipeg) | 13 hours | 14 hours |
| Saskatchewan (Regina, Saskatoon) | 14 hours | 14 hours |
| Mountain · Alberta (Calgary, Edmonton) | 14 hours | 14 hours |
| Pacific · BC (Vancouver, Richmond, Victoria) | 15 hours | 15 hours |
When to watch the CCTV evening news and the Gala in Toronto or Vancouver
Xinwen Lianbo, the CCTV evening news, airs at 19:00 Beijing time every day, and the 2027 Spring Festival Gala starts on Lunar New Year's Eve, February 5 at 20:00 Beijing time. In Canada both fall on the morning of the same day:
| City | Evening news, March to November | Evening news, November to March | 2027 Gala (Feb 5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's | 8:30 a.m. | 7:30 a.m. | Feb 5, 8:30 a.m. |
| Halifax | 8:00 a.m. | 7:00 a.m. | Feb 5, 8:00 a.m. |
| Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal | 7:00 a.m. | 6:00 a.m. | Feb 5, 7:00 a.m. |
| Winnipeg | 6:00 a.m. | 5:00 a.m. | Feb 5, 6:00 a.m. |
| Regina, Saskatoon | 5:00 a.m. | 5:00 a.m. | Feb 5, 6:00 a.m. |
| Calgary, Edmonton | 5:00 a.m. | 5:00 a.m. | Feb 5, 6:00 a.m. |
| Vancouver, Richmond | 4:00 a.m. | 4:00 a.m. | Feb 5, 5:00 a.m. |
In Toronto the Gala starts at 7 a.m. on a Friday, early enough to catch the opening before work; in Vancouver it starts at 5 a.m., so you may prefer the replay that evening. For where to find CCTV live channels and replays, see watching CCTV live outside China and watching the Spring Festival Gala abroad.
Choosing a TV or streaming box in Canada
The TV brands on sale in Canada are much the same as in the US, at Best Buy Canada, Costco, Walmart and Amazon.ca. Only one thing matters when choosing: does it run Android TV or Google TV?
- Sony, TCL and Hisense all sell Google TV models that can install Homeway directly. The same brand may also sell other systems, so go by the system named on the box or product page.
- Samsung (Tizen), LG (webOS), Hisense VIDAA, and Roku TVs and sticks can't install it. We haven't verified Fire TV, so hold off on that.
- If you already own a Samsung or LG, keep it and plug a Google TV box into an HDMI port. See Samsung and LG TVs for how to set it up.
In warehouse stores like Costco, TVs of the same size but different systems often sit side by side; the price tag and the box name the system. When in doubt, buy a box: it moves with you to your next TV.
How much speed you need
A typical city home internet plan is more than enough: 1080p needs a steady 5 Mbps or more, 4K needs 15–25 Mbps. If you're out in the country on satellite internet or a phone hotspot, run a speed test on the TV first and drop the quality to 1080p or 720p if needed. Use Ethernet or 5 GHz Wi-Fi for the TV where you can.
Evenings in Canada are mornings in China, when Chinese platforms are past their evening rush, so watching after dinner is naturally off-peak. Catching a live show early in the morning is the opposite: it lands in China's evening peak. If you see spinning, work through fixing buffering.
Getting started on TV, phone and computer
- TV or box: search for "Homeway" in Google Play, or type
homeway.tv/tvinto a browser to download the installer; see the TV install guide. Open it and scan the on-screen QR code with your phone to sign in. - Phone: for Android, see the Android install guide. On iPhone and iPad, download it from the App Store.
- Computer: on Windows 10/11 install the Windows app; on a Mac add the browser extension for Chrome, Edge or Firefox and watch CCTV Video (Yangshipin), Bilibili, Tencent Video and more on the web.
Once installed, switch on the moon gate and open the video app. See supported apps for the full list.
Prices shown in Canadian dollars
Open the plans page from Canada and both Standard and Family are shown in Canadian dollars, so there's no currency conversion to work out. Standard covers 2 devices and Family 5, billed monthly. New users get a 7-day free trial on first sign-in, on every device, with no card required. If you don't subscribe afterwards you move to the free plan, which keeps working on one phone.
When parents come to stay
Many parents come to Canada on a super visa and stay for months at a time. While their children are at work, the TV keeps them company. The Family plan covers 5 devices on one account: the living-room TV, each parent's phone, and your own phone and computer can all be in use at once. Your parents don't need to learn anything new; they turn on the TV and their familiar apps are there.
FAQ
Our Tencent Video and iQIYI memberships were registered in China. Can we sign in from Canada?
Yes. Homeway doesn't change your video accounts. Sign in to each app with your own membership and everything it includes plays as usual. Homeway only deals with region restrictions and doesn't sell memberships for any video platform.
What time is the 2027 Spring Festival Gala in Toronto and Vancouver?
The Gala starts at 20:00 Beijing time on February 5, 2027. That's 7:00 a.m. on February 5 in Toronto and 5:00 a.m. in Vancouver (BC no longer falls back from November 2026). It's 6:00 a.m. in Calgary, Regina and Winnipeg, 8:00 a.m. in Halifax and 8:30 a.m. in St. John's.
Why doesn't the gap with Beijing change in winter in Saskatchewan, Alberta and BC?
Saskatchewan has never changed its clocks, and from November 1, 2026 Alberta and BC no longer fall back either, keeping summer time all year. So the gap with Beijing is fixed year-round: 14 hours in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and 15 hours in most of BC.
Will a TV from Best Buy or Costco work?
It depends on the system, not the store. TVs and boxes labeled Google TV or Android TV work; Samsung, LG, Hisense VIDAA and Roku systems don't, and Fire TV hasn't been verified. If you've already bought one that isn't supported, add a Google TV box.
What currency do I pay in from Canada?
Canadian dollars. Opened from Canada, the plans page shows Standard and Family prices in CAD, billed monthly. New users first get a 7-day free trial with no card required.
Family in the US? See watching Chinese TV in the US. Other countries are in the country guides, and for how Homeway differs from a VPN to China, see Homeway vs. a VPN.
Try Homeway
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