Content & Catalog
What to watch on Frndly TV?
Content TypesMovies · Series · Live TV · Documentaries · Kids · News
SubtitlesEnglish
Virtual MVPDWorks with VPNUpdated June 10, 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.
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Watch Frndly TV Abroad with a VPN
Hallmark, History, Lifetime, A&E, Game Show Network: Frndly TV bundles the family and lifestyle channels the big skinny bundles keep dropping, and it has done so since 2019 for the price of a couple of coffees. A handful of ex-Dish executives built it on the bet that most viewers want a small, cheap lineup, not another bloated package. In May 2025 the streaming hardware maker Roku bought Frndly TV for $185 million and started shipping it preinstalled on new Roku players, which only widened its US audience.
Leave the country, though, and your trip turns awkward. The app reads your IP address, sees a foreign one, and locks the roughly 62 channels behind a geoblock. A VPN fixes that: connect to a US server, your IP flips back to an American one, and the Frndly TV catalog loads as if you never left home. Surfshark keeps the tunnel quick and quiet, so the lightweight live feeds keep playing on your own account without buffering.
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Quick answer
Can I watch Frndly TV abroad?
Not on a plain connection: Frndly TV is US-only and blocks foreign IP addresses on sight. With a VPN it works fine. Fire up Surfshark, pick a US server, and your American IP unlocks the live channels and on-demand library exactly as they look at home. Keep your US payment method handy for sign-up, and remember the stream tops out at 720p. The VPN only shifts your location; you still pay for the plan yourself.
VPN Compatibility
Best VPN for Frndly TV
Tested weekly by our team. Green: works, amber: partial, red: blocked.
| VPN Service | Price | Frndly TV | Tested | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SurfsharkBEST | From $1.78/mo | ✓ Works | June 9 | Try it |
 ExpressVPN | From $2.79/mo | ✓ Works | June 8 | Open |
 NordVPN | From $2.99/mo | ✓ Works | June 7 | Open |
 Private Internet Access | From $1.79/mo | ✓ Works | June 9 | Open |
 ProtonVPN | From $3.59/mo | ~ Partial | June 4 | Open |
 CyberGhost | From $1.75/mo | ~ Partial | June 6 | Open |
 IPVanish | From $2.19/mo | ~ Partial | June 3 | Open |
✓ WorksTested June 9
✓ WorksTested June 8
✓ WorksTested June 7
✓ WorksTested June 9
~ PartialTested June 4
~ PartialTested June 6
~ PartialTested June 3
Tested on June 9, 2026 · 7, 4 · residential IP from the United States · Frndly TV 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 Frndly TV with a VPN
Takes about 2 minutes. Works on your phone, tablet, TV, PC, or laptop.
- Pick a reliable VPNGo with a proven network that has plenty of US servers. Surfshark clears the geoblock and stays fast, from $1.78 a month with a money-back guarantee if it underwhelms.Skip free VPNs. Data caps and crowded servers stutter even a low-bitrate live feed.
- Connect to a US serverIn the VPN app, choose a server inside the United States, ideally near the region tied to your payment card. That hands you the American IP address the app insists on.
- Open Frndly TVLaunch the site or app, sign in, and the Hallmark lineup plus the rest of the channels appear. If anything stalls, clear the cache and reload the page.
- Start streamingPick a live channel or grab something from the on-demand shelf. Video maxes out at 720p, so even a modest connection handles the feed without dropouts.
Ready to watch Frndly TV without borders?
Surfshark: risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee
Availability
Which countries is Frndly TV available in?
Frndly TV is only available in the United States. To access it from anywhere else, use a premium VPN.
Available in 1 country No VPN needed
Blocked in 193 countries VPN required
Show all 181 more countries
AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana
British Virgin Islands
BruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCongoCongo (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 TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUAEUgandaUkraineUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamYemenZambiaZimbabweFrndly TV is blocked in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada, in New Zealand and in Ireland, plus in 188 more countries. To access it, use a premium VPN like Surfshark.
Available
Blocked / unavailable
Last tested: June 10, 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 Surfshark, if you want something that actually works.
Pricing & Plans
How Much Does Frndly TV Cost?
Basic
$8.99
/month
7-day free trial
- 1 simultaneous stream
- Ad-free
- No offline downloads
Most Popular
Classic
$10.99
/month
7-day free trial
- 2 simultaneous streams
- Ad-free
- No offline downloads
Premium
$12.99
/month
7-day free trial
- 4 simultaneous streams
- Ad-free
- No offline downloads
PoliciesGDPR compliant
Ready to subscribe to Frndly TV?
Go to the official website: no VPN needed if you’re in a supported country.
About the platform
Who’s behind the service?
What is Frndly TV
Frndly TV is a budget US live-TV streaming service built around family and lifestyle channels. Its lineup of roughly 62 networks centers on Hallmark, A&E, History, Lifetime and Game Show Network, mixing movies, reality, documentaries and game shows for the whole household. Launched in 2019 by former Dish executives, it was bought by Roku in May 2025 for $185 million yet still runs as a standalone app and now ships on new Roku devices. Plans start at about $9 a month, with higher tiers adding HD, more simultaneous streams and unlimited DVR. It is available only inside the United States.
Company and history
Major changes
- A group of ex-Dish executives launched the service with 12 channels and cloud DVR for $5.99 a month, aimed at viewers who found the big skinny bundles too pricey and bloated.
- The first price bump moved the base subscription to $6.99 a month. The lineup kept growing in the meantime, adding more family and lifestyle channels.
- The catalog crossed the 40-channel mark. The service settled into its niche as a cheap home for family and gentler entertainment, not a sports or news bundle.
- The base price climbed to $7.99 a month, while annual subscribers held a lower rate, a pattern that would repeat with every future increase.
- February 2025 brought Stingray Music channels to the lineup, expanding the lifestyle side of the catalog with round-the-clock music networks.
- Around March 21, 2025, Cleo TV joined the lineup while the children's channel BabyFirst was dropped, a shift toward broader content for an adult audience.
- On April 22, 2025, Reelz joined the lineup, known for documentaries and celebrity-focused programming, adding another entertainment angle to the catalog.
- On May 7, 2025, TheGrio joined and Recipe.TV left the lineup. That same month Roku announced it was buying the service for $185 million and lifted the base price to $8.99 a month, hitting existing subscribers from May 15.
- On September 29, 2025, the classic-and-western channel WEST joined the lineup, growing the catalog with another genre network.
- October 2025 added MovieSphere Gold and Envoy TV, pushing the lineup toward roughly 62 channels in total.
Still can’t open Frndly TV where you are?
Connect Surfshark, pick a supported country, and you’re streaming Frndly TV in minutes, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Devices & Quality
Watch on all your devices
Supported devices
Video quality
720pHDRDolby VisionDolby Atmos
UX features
Continue watching
Accessibility
Closed captions
Insider Tips
Tips & tricks you should know
5 tips from our Frndly TV testing team · Updated June 10, 2026
- Pay yearly instead of monthly and you save roughly a quarter: the Classic plan runs $95.88 a year versus nearly $132 paid month to month.
- The Basic tier is SD-only on a single screen, so pick Classic or Premium if you want 720p HD and two or four simultaneous streams.
- Frndly TV automatically keeps everything aired in the last 72 hours, so you can replay a missed Hallmark movie without ever touching the DVR.
- Both Classic and Premium include unlimited cloud DVR, but Premium stores your recordings for nine months instead of three, ideal for hoarding game-show seasons.
- Since Frndly TV works only inside the US, traveling abroad means connecting Surfshark to a US server before you open the app.
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 Frndly TV.
Frndly TV starts at $8.99 a month for a single standard-definition stream with no DVR. The most popular tier runs $10.99 and adds HD, two simultaneous streams, and three months of DVR storage. The top plan stacks on four streams and a longer archive. Annual subscribers pay less. Prices are in US dollars and you cover them yourself; a VPN never changes them.
The backbone is family and lifestyle networks: Hallmark Channel, History, Lifetime, A&E, Game Show Network, and The Weather Channel, among roughly 62 channels plus an on-demand library. There is no live sports and no big news bundle here, by design. Once you stretch the catalog over a US server with Surfshark, you see the exact same lineup an American viewer does.
Choose a paid network with fast US servers and a solid record of clearing geoblocks. Surfshark ticks those boxes for Frndly TV and offers a money-back guarantee, so you can test it risk-free. Skip free VPNs; data caps and crowded servers stutter even a low-bitrate feed. Remember the Frndly TV subscription is separate; the VPN only rewrites your location to a US one.
Pretty much, yes. Frndly TV expects US-based viewers, so a domestic card or gift code plus a US billing address makes sign-up far smoother, and registering from abroad may bump against the terms. Surfshark hands you an American IP address, but it cannot supply a payment method, so sort that part out before you subscribe. A US prepaid card is the usual workaround for Frndly TV.
Yes. Recording happens on the Frndly TV side, so a VPN does not interfere with it. The base plan has no DVR, the mid tier keeps recordings for three months, and the top tier holds them up to nine months. You can play those recordings back from anywhere, as long as you are connected to a US server with Surfshark and your subscription is active.
Streams cap at 720p, but only on the higher tiers. The cheapest Frndly TV Basic plan runs in standard definition, while HD up to 720p unlocks from the Classic plan and above. Either way the feed is easy on bandwidth, so even a modest connection through Surfshark carries it without buffering. If you expect crisp 4K like the big movie services, you will not find it here, but for relaxed living-room viewing it is more than enough.
Yes, a new account gets seven days to test Frndly TV before any charge, and you can cancel inside that window. The catch is that even the trial needs a payment method and, from abroad, a US IP address through Surfshark. After seven days the Frndly TV account rolls into a paid plan, so watch the date if you do not intend to keep it.
Yes. The Frndly TV app runs on Roku boxes, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, and Samsung and Vizio smart sets, plus the web and mobile. The snag is that many TVs will not let you install a VPN directly. The fix is to run Surfshark on the router your TV connects through, or to stream from a computer instead and cast it across.
Quite a lot. Instead of dozens of pricey channels on a contract, Frndly TV gives you a tight selection of family and lifestyle networks for a fraction of the cost, cancel any time. It is not a full cable replacement with sports and everything else, but for Hallmark fans and gentler viewing it is a cheap pick. From abroad you reach it only through a US IP from Surfshark.
Ready to watch Frndly TV without borders?
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