How to watch Chinese TV and shows in the UK
In short: the UK is 7–8 hours behind Beijing, so China’s evening broadcasts land around lunchtime and the afternoon here; for evening viewing, use on-demand and replays. When a show says it’s “only available in mainland China”, install Homeway on an Android TV, Google TV box, phone or computer and light the moon gate. Samsung and LG TVs, and boxes like Freeview and Sky Q, can’t run it.
Time difference: 8 hours in winter, 7 in summer
The whole UK shares one time zone. From the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October it’s on British Summer Time (UTC+1) and Beijing is 7 hours ahead; the rest of the year it’s on GMT (UTC+0) and Beijing is 8 hours ahead. China doesn’t change its clocks. The UK goes back to GMT on October 25, 2026, and moves to BST again on March 28, 2027.
Here’s how common Beijing times translate to UK time (the UK is always behind, so times that cross midnight are marked):
| Beijing time | UK winter (GMT) | UK summer (BST) |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. | Midnight, same day | 1:00 a.m., same day |
| Noon | 4:00 a.m. | 5:00 a.m. |
| 7:00 p.m. (CCTV evening news) | 11:00 a.m. | Noon |
| 8:00 p.m. | Noon | 1:00 p.m. |
| 10:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. |
| Midnight | 4:00 p.m., previous day | 5:00 p.m., previous day |
In other words, China’s whole prime-time evening falls during the UK working and school day. Catching a bit of a live broadcast on your phone at lunch, then watching on demand on the TV in the evening, is how most people in the UK keep up.
When the 2027 Spring Festival Gala airs in the UK
The Gala starts at 8 p.m. Beijing time on February 5 (Chinese New Year’s Eve). The UK is on GMT then, so that’s noon on Friday, February 5 in London, with the midnight countdown at 4 p.m. If you’re at work or school, watch the opening on your phone over lunch and the replay on the TV in the evening; both work with Homeway. Step-by-step instructions are in watching the Spring Festival Gala abroad.
Which TVs and boxes in a UK home will work
Homeway’s TV app needs Android TV or Google TV. What matters is the operating system, not the brand:
| Device | Works? |
|---|---|
| Sony | Yes. Recent models run Google TV or Android TV. |
| TCL, Hisense | Depends on the system: Google TV models work; Hisense’s VIDAA doesn’t. |
| Samsung, LG | No. Tizen and webOS don’t run third-party Android apps. See watching on Samsung and LG TVs. |
| Freeview / Freesat boxes, Sky Q | No. They aren’t Android and don’t allow third-party apps. |
| Google TV box (e.g. Chromecast with Google TV) | Yes, and it’s the easiest option. |
| Fire TV Stick | Not yet tested by us, so we don’t recommend buying one for this. |
If your TV can’t install it, keep the TV. Buy a Google TV box from Currys, Argos or online and plug it into a spare HDMI port; Freeview and Sky carry on as before, and you just switch the input to the box when you want Chinese TV. To see whether a TV already runs Google TV, check the home screen for “Google TV” or try opening the Google Play Store.
Is UK broadband fast enough for 4K?
Homeway only relays the playback authorization and stream-address requests; the video itself downloads straight from the server nearest to you, so quality comes down to your own broadband. As a guide, 1080p needs a steady 5 Mbps or more, and 4K needs 15–25 Mbps. Most UK fibre broadband, whether fibre to the cabinet or full fibre, is plenty. On an old copper ADSL line, 1080p is usually fine but 4K may struggle.
In student halls or house shares, shared Wi-Fi gets congested in the evening when everyone’s online; if the picture keeps spinning, drop to 1080p first. More fixes are in what to do about buffering.
Prices shown in pounds
New users get 7 days free on first sign-in, on TV, phone and computer, with no card required. After the trial you move to the free plan, which keeps working on one phone for as long as you like. For TVs, tablets and computers, subscribe to Standard (2 devices) or Family (5 devices), billed monthly. Open the pricing page from the UK and prices are shown in GBP.
Getting started on TV, phone and computer
TV: Google TV box or Android TV
- Install the Homeway TV app using the TV install guide (search “Homeway” in Google Play, or enter
homeway.tv/tvin a browser). - Scan the QR code on the TV with your phone to sign in, then light the moon gate.
- Install the TV apps you want, such as CCTV’s TV app, Bilibili’s TV app or CIBN Kumiao (Youku’s TV app), and start watching.
Phone: live TV at lunchtime
- On Android, see the Android install guide. On iPhone, download it from the App Store.
- Sign in with an email code and light the moon gate.
- Open Yangshipin, Mango TV, Tencent Video or another supported app, and region-blocked shows will play.
Computer: catching up in your room
- On Windows, install the Windows app; on a MacBook, use the browser extension for Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
- Sign in, light the moon gate and watch Bilibili, iQIYI, Youku and other sites in your browser.
FAQ
Can I sign in to a membership account I registered in China?
Yes. Homeway doesn’t change your accounts: sign in to the video app with the account you registered in China, and your membership works as before. Homeway only handles region restrictions; memberships are bought in each video app.
Can I install Homeway on Sky Q or a Freeview box?
No. Sky Q, Freeview and Freesat boxes aren’t Android and don’t allow third-party apps. Add a Google TV box on a different HDMI port and switch between them with the TV’s input button.
All I have is a Fire TV Stick. Will it work?
We haven’t tested Fire TV yet, so we can’t promise it works. For a sure thing, use a Google TV box or a TV running Google TV; those are devices the Homeway TV app explicitly supports.
How do the clock changes affect live broadcast times?
China doesn’t change its clocks, so Beijing is 8 hours ahead of the UK on GMT and 7 hours ahead on BST. The 7 p.m. Beijing evening news is 11 a.m. in the UK in winter and noon in summer. The UK is on GMT from October 25, 2026 to March 28, 2027.
How do I pay for Homeway in the UK?
New users start with a free 7-day trial, no card required. After that one phone stays free; TVs, tablets and computers need a Standard or Family subscription, billed monthly, with prices shown in pounds in the UK.
Related: watching CCTV live abroad, which apps Homeway supports, Homeway vs. a VPN back to China, guides for other countries.
Try Homeway
Free for 7 days for new users, no card required, on your TV, phone and computer in the UK.