Content & Catalog
What to watch on Canal 1?
Content TypesSeries · Live TV · News · Originals
SubtitlesSpanish
Broadcast VODWorks with VPNUpdated July 21, 2026
Reviewed by Alena Bolcikova · Affiliate DisclosureOur website contains affiliate links. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you.
How to Watch Canal 1 outside Colombia: VPN Guide 2026
Colombia has three free-to-air national channels, and Canal 1 is the one with the most tangled backstory. It has broadcast under this name since 2017, yet its roots reach far back into Colombian television, and it is run by Plural Comunicaciones, a company that HMTV1 bought outright in 2022. Canal 1 streams the Noticentro 1 newscast, telenovelas and general entertainment completely free, with a live signal running around the clock on canal1.com.co. The catch is that the official stream is normally geo-locked to Colombia, so the moment you press play from outside the country you hit a wall telling you the content is not available in your region.
The fix is simple. ExpressVPN swaps your virtual location to Colombia, and a server inside the home country hands the signal a local IP address. There is no subscription to buy, since the channel itself is free. All you need is a reliable VPN, a Colombian IP and a browser to watch the same feed as viewers in Bogota, right up to 1080p.
Free
Price
1
Country
1080p
Max quality
7 of 7
VPNs work
1 min
Ready in
Quick answer
Can you watch Canal 1 outside Colombia?
The official live feed of Canal 1 checks for a Colombian IP address, so it stays dark once you leave the country. Turn on ExpressVPN, connect to a server in Colombia and open canal1.com.co as a local viewer would. The channel is free, so there is nothing to pay. You get Noticentro 1, telenovelas and daytime shows in real time, streaming up to 1080p.
VPN Compatibility
Best VPN for Canal 1
Tested weekly by our team. Green: works, amber: partial, red: blocked.
| VPN Service | Price | Canal 1 | Tested | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 ExpressVPNBEST | From $2.79/mo | ✓ Works | July 19 | Try it |
 NordVPN | From $2.99/mo | ✓ Works | July 20 | Open |
 Surfshark | From $1.78/mo | ✓ Works | July 18 | Open |
 ProtonVPN | From $3.59/mo | ✓ Works | July 17 | Open |
 Private Internet Access | From $1.79/mo | ✓ Works | July 19 | Open |
 CyberGhost | From $1.75/mo | ✓ Works | July 16 | Open |
 IPVanish | From $2.19/mo | ✓ Works | July 14 | Open |
✓ WorksTested July 19
✓ WorksTested July 20
✓ WorksTested July 18
✓ WorksTested July 17
✓ WorksTested July 19
✓ WorksTested July 16
✓ WorksTested July 14
Tested on July 20, 2026 · 7 VPNs, 7 working · residential IP from Colombia · Canal 1 updates detection continuously, results may change.
Streaming service blocking your VPN? Just disconnect and hop onto a different server in the same country. Stick to the ones labeled “streaming” or “optimized” because they’re literally built for this.
How-to
How to Unblock Canal 1 with a VPN
Takes about 2 minutes. Works on your phone, tablet, TV, PC, or laptop.
- Pick a reliable VPNGo with ExpressVPN, which runs fast servers across Latin America. Plans start at $2.79 per month.Choose a provider with a money-back guarantee so you can test the connection risk-free.
- Connect to ColombiaOpen ExpressVPN and choose a Colombian server. Your IP address turns local and the geo-block on Canal 1 drops away.
- Open canal1.com.coLoad the Canal 1 site or app and tap Señal en vivo. The live signal starts just as it does in Bogota.
- Watch in 1080pThe broadcast now runs smoothly up to 1080p, so Noticentro 1 and the evening lineup play in real time.
Ready to watch Canal 1 without borders?
ExpressVPN: risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee
Availability
Which countries is Canal 1 available in?
Canal 1 is only available in Colombia. To access it from anywhere else, use a premium VPN.
Available in 1 country No VPN needed
Blocked in 193 countries VPN required
United StatesUnited KingdomAustraliaCanadaNew ZealandIrelandGermanyFranceJapanIndiaNetherlandsSouth Africa
Show all 181 more countries
BrazilAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana
British Virgin Islands
BruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaComorosCongoCongo (DRC)Costa RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFijiFinlandGabonGambiaGeorgiaGhanaGreeceGrenadaGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHungaryIcelandIndonesiaIranIraqIsraelItalyJamaicaJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorth KoreaNorth MacedoniaNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSão Tomé and PríncipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUAEUgandaUkraineUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamYemenZambiaZimbabweCanal 1 is blocked in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada and in New Zealand, plus in 188 more countries. To access it, use a premium VPN like ExpressVPN.
Available
Blocked / unavailable
Last tested: July 13, 2026
Steer clear of free VPNs. Most of them actually collect and sell your data, lack proper security audits, and can even expose you to malware. They’re also useless for streaming. Platforms block them instantly, leaving you with more headaches than solutions. Stick to paid VPNs with verified audits, like ExpressVPN, if you want something that actually works.
About the platform
Who’s behind the service?
What is Canal 1
Canal 1 is one of Colombia’s three free-to-air national channels, and the one with the most tangled backstory. It has broadcast under this name since 2017, though its roots run deep into the country’s television history, and it is operated by Plural Comunicaciones, bought outright by HMTV1 in 2022. The free schedule mixes the Noticentro 1 newscast with telenovelas and general entertainment, streamed live around the clock on canal1.com.co, with the official signal geo-locked to Colombia.
Company and history
Major changes
- In July 2017 the channel relaunched under the Canal 1 brand through concession contract 001 with Plural Comunicaciones, joining Colombia's three free-to-air national broadcasters.
- In November 2022 the Colombian firm Phoenix Media took over HMTV1, the stake originally held by Hemisphere Media Group, kicking off a change of ownership at the channel.
- A month later, in December 2022, HMTV1 absorbed the minority partners CM&, NTC and RTI, ending up with one hundred percent of Plural Comunicaciones, the channel's operator.
- In August 2025 President Gustavo Petro ordered the MinTIC ministry to open a fresh tender for Canal 1, even though the operator insists its concession runs until 2037. The government says the contract expires in May 2027.
- In December 2025 a court admitted a tutela, a constitutional complaint that the channel's operator filed against MinTIC and the SIC watchdog over alleged pressure and a threat to free speech.
- In January 2026 the court threw out the tutela as inadmissible; the operator of Canal 1 announced an appeal to the Cundinamarca Tribunal, where the fight over the concession's future moves to a second instance.
Still can’t open Canal 1 where you are?
Connect ExpressVPN, pick a supported country, and you’re streaming Canal 1 in minutes, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Devices & Quality
Watch on all your devices
Supported devices
Video quality
1080pHDRDolby VisionDolby Atmos
Insider Tips
Tips & tricks you should know
5 tips from our Canal 1 testing team · Updated July 13, 2026
- Canal 1 locks its live feed to Colombia, so from abroad connect ExpressVPN to a Colombian server and the site will treat you as a local viewer.
- When the app throws a geo-block or the signal stalls, switch to Canal 1's official YouTube channel, which streams its news and shows for free.
- Grab the official Canal 1 app on Android or iOS to watch Noticentro 1 and telenovelas on the go, it's free and needs no account.
- Don't miss Noticentro 1, Canal 1's flagship newscast pulling around two million daily viewers, for on-the-ground Colombian coverage.
- The full live signal plays free at canal1.com.co/senal-en-vivo with no subscription or sign-up, just accept cookies and hit play.
Alternatives
Other services you can watch
Not the right fit? Here are services in the same category you can compare.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before subscribing to Canal 1.
Yes. Canal 1 is a free-to-air public channel, so watching costs nothing. From abroad you still hit a geo-block, because the official stream only lets Colombian IP addresses in. Switch on ExpressVPN, connect to Colombia and the signal loads just like it does for local viewers. No subscription, just a reliable VPN and a browser.
The channel holds its content rights for Colombia only, so the official site reads your IP address, sees you are elsewhere and blocks playback. ExpressVPN gives you a Colombian IP, so the server believes you are watching from Bogota. This is not a subscription trick, only a change of virtual location. The channel stays free for everyone.
No. The live signal needs no login or sign-up. Open canal1.com.co, tap Señal en vivo and the broadcast rolls. From outside Colombia you first start ExpressVPN and connect to a Colombian server, otherwise the geo-block turns you away. There is nothing to pay and nothing to register.
Yes. The channel has its own Android and iOS app, and the site also runs in a mobile browser. On the move, turn on ExpressVPN right on your phone, pick a Colombian server and open the app. Noticentro 1 and the daily lineup then stream on your screen as smoothly as at home.
A VPN is a standard privacy tool and using one is legal in most countries. ExpressVPN only shifts your virtual location and bypasses no paid subscription, since the channel is free. Just check the service’s own terms. You are doing nothing shady, only watching a free-to-air broadcast from another country.
Look for a provider with its own servers in Colombia, or at least across Latin America, plus steady speeds for live video. ExpressVPN ticks those boxes and connects easily even for a first-timer. Unlike a paid service such as DAZN, there is no subscription here, only a solid VPN to clear the geo-block.
The live feed runs in HD, up to 1080p, which is plenty for a laptop, phone or TV. Routing through ExpressVPN does not change the quality, you simply pass through a Colombian server. If the picture stutters, switch to a closer or less crowded server and let the stream buffer for a moment.
For now it keeps broadcasting. The operator and the MinTIC ministry disagree on whether the concession lasts until 2027 or until 2037, and the case is heading to an appeals court. As long as the live signal runs, you can watch it from abroad through ExpressVPN without limits. The channel’s future, though, stays open.
Ready to watch Canal 1 without borders?
ExpressVPN unlocks Canal 1 from anywhere in the world. Risk-free 30-day money-back.
Part of the HMTV1 (Plural Comunicaciones) family.
Try ExpressVPN