Polynesian TV channels: live broadcasts, news and programmes

Tahitian television rests on two local channels, TNTV, the channel of the Pays, and Polynésie la 1ère, a France Télévisions station. Both broadcast in French and reo tahiti and put their news bulletins online, live or as catch-up.

From the ORTF to local television

Television reached French Polynesia in the 1960s with the ORTF, then passed to FR3 and to RFO in 1983. For decades a single public channel broadcast from Papeete, until a television service championed by the government of the Pays arrived.

TNTV, the channel of the Pays

Tahiti Nui Télévision has been on air since 2000 and answers to the French Polynesia authority. Its evening news, magazines and reo tahiti editions are carried on TNTV News, where reports from the archipelagos remain available for several days after broadcast.

Polynésie la 1ère in the France Télévisions network

A national public station, Polynésie la 1ère combines television, radio and a news website. It belongs to the group's network of nine overseas stations, which lets it swap reports with Nouméa, Saint-Denis in Réunion or Fort-de-France.

How do the two channels differ?

TNTV often emphasises the institutional life of the Pays, the communes and Mā'ohi culture. Polynésie la 1ère also covers the work of the French state, defence and relations with Paris. Watching both evening bulletins gives a more complete picture.

Reo tahiti and bilingual programming

Both channels produce news bulletins and shows in reo tahiti, often subtitled in French. Coverage of the Heiva i Tahiti, held every July at To'ata square, also features bilingual commentary much enjoyed by Polynesian families living in mainland France.

Free-to-air, packages and boxes: what households receive

On the island of Tahiti, local digital terrestrial television carries the Polynesian channels and several national ones free of charge. Pay packages such as Vini TV, from the operator Vini, add French and international channels and publish their own programme guide.

Catching up on a Papeete news bulletin

From Paris, Brussels or Montreal, the simplest route is the TNTV video section or the Polynésie la 1ère page on the France Télévisions portal. Papeete's evening bulletins are online by the following morning, European time, for viewers abroad.

The big live events of the year

Territorial elections to the Assembly of French Polynesia, the Hawaiki Nui Va'a, surf contests at Teahupo'o and Heiva evenings mobilise crews from both channels. These broadcasts are often streamed, sometimes with restrictions linked to sports rights.

Coverage by the national overseas media

The Outre-mer La 1ère portal and the Outremers360 site regularly pick up Tahiti stories for a national audience. To place Polynesia among the other Pacific territories, see also our overview of the Oceanian press.

Checking a video circulating on social media

A clip from a Tahitian TV bulletin can be edited, taken out of context or several years old. Find the original report on the channel's website, check the date and compare it with an article from Tahiti's print press.

Television and radio: linked newsrooms

Polynésie la 1ère shares its journalists between TV and radio, and midday stories are often rerun in the evening. For live audio and private stations such as Radio1, see our guide to radio in Tahiti.

English-language programmes and international channels

English-speaking tourists will find few local programmes in English. Satellite packages and the Vini box do offer international news channels, however, while hotels on Bora-Bora or Moorea often provide foreign channel packages suited to their guests.

Following Tahitian television from afar

1. Open the TNTV video section to watch the latest news bulletin, in French or in reo tahiti.
2. Bookmark the Polynésie la 1ère page on the France Télévisions portal for its live streams and catch-up.
3. Allow for the 11 or 12 hour gap with Europe: the evening bulletin appears in the early morning.
4. Follow both channels' official social media accounts to be alerted to special live broadcasts.
5. Check the Vini TV programme guide if you are staying locally and want to know the schedules.
6. Compare how TNTV and Polynésie la 1ère treat the same story to spot differences in angle.

Access to Polynesian channels and subscriptions

Essentials of television in Tahiti

• Local public channel of the Pays: TNTV (Tahiti Nui Télévision), founded in 2000
• National station: Polynésie la 1ère, France Télévisions group
• News languages: French and reo tahiti
• Main pay package: Vini TV
• Time difference with Paris: 11 hours in winter, 12 hours in summer
• Subscriptions billed in CFP francs (XPF)

Common mistakes with footage from Tahiti

• Believing a video shared on social media is recent when it is a TNTV report broadcast years earlier.
• Using a pirate streaming site that claims to carry Polynesian channels and exposes your device to malware.
• Ignoring that TNTV answers to the territorial authority and Polynésie la 1ère to the state, which can shape the stories they highlight.
• Concluding that a catch-up video has been deleted when it is only geo-blocked for rights reasons, especially for sport.
• Mistaking a local entertainment show or comedy sketch for an item from the news bulletin.

Common questions about Tahitian television