Content & Catalog
What to watch on RDS?
Content TypesLive TV · Live Sport · Documentaries · Originals
SubtitlesFrench
DubbingFrench
Payment methodsCredit card · Debit card · PayPal
Sport StreamingWorks with VPNUpdated June 9, 2026
Reviewed by Radek Vlcek · 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 RDS Outside Canada: VPN Guide 2026
Run by Bell Media alongside American partner ESPN, RDS is the French-language sister of TSN. Short for Réseau des sports, it launched in 1989 and spreads its coverage across three channels, RDS, RDS2 and the news service RDS Info, plus a streaming app. The line-up leans into Quebec’s passions: the Montreal Canadiens in French, Formula 1, the Super Bowl, NASCAR, the Tour de France, MLS and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The catch is geography. The subscription is sold to Canadian viewers only, so logging in from another country greys out the broadcast, because the service reads a foreign IP address. Watching RDS abroad comes down to one dependable step.
That step is a VPN. It routes your connection through a Canadian server, gives you a local IP address and lets RDS read you as a viewer in Canada. With Surfshark you regain every live channel and the on-demand archive in up to 1080p, whether you are travelling for work, studying overseas or living somewhere that does not carry RDS.
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Quick answer
Can you watch RDS abroad with a VPN?
Yes, with a VPN. RDS sells its stream to Canadian viewers only, so from elsewhere you need a Canadian IP address to get in. Connect Surfshark to a server in Canada, refresh the app or website, and the live channels and the archive return in up to 1080p, exactly as a viewer in Canada sees them. Remember that a VPN fixes your location, not the Canadian card a brand-new subscription asks for.
VPN Compatibility
Best VPN for RDS
Tested weekly by our team. Green: works, amber: partial, red: blocked.
| VPN Service | Price | RDS | Tested | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SurfsharkBEST | From $1.78/mo | ✓ Works | June 14 | Try it |
 ExpressVPN | From $2.79/mo | ✓ Works | June 14 | Open |
 NordVPN | From $2.99/mo | ✓ Works | June 14 | Open |
 Private Internet Access | From $1.79/mo | ✓ Works | June 15 | Open |
 CyberGhost | From $1.75/mo | ~ Partial | June 15 | Open |
 IPVanish | From $2.19/mo | ~ Partial | June 11 | Open |
 ProtonVPN | From $3.59/mo | ~ Partial | June 12 | Open |
✓ WorksTested June 14
✓ WorksTested June 14
✓ WorksTested June 14
✓ WorksTested June 15
~ PartialTested June 15
~ PartialTested June 11
~ PartialTested June 12
Tested on June 15, 2026 · 7 VPNs, 4 working · residential IP from Canada · RDS 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 RDS with a VPN
Takes about 2 minutes. Works on your phone, tablet, TV, PC, or laptop.
- Choose a reliable VPNPick a service with fast Canadian servers like Surfshark, from $1.78. Free VPNs are throttled and RDS recognises and blocks many of their address ranges.A 30-day money-back guarantee lets you test it risk-free.
- Connect to a Canadian serverOpen the VPN app and pick a server in Canada, ideally close to Montreal or Quebec City, then wait for the connection to confirm before launching RDS.A server in eastern Canada keeps latency low on live games.
- Sign in to RDSGo to rds.ca or open the app and sign in with your Canadian account. If the page looks blocked, clear your cookies so it forgets your original location.On a foreign smart TV, set your app store region to Canada first.
- Start the broadcastChoose a live channel or an on-demand game and watch in up to 1080p. A fast link to the server matters most for keeping live sport smooth.Reconnect to the same Canadian server if the player stalls.
Ready to watch RDS without borders?
Surfshark: risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee
Availability
Which countries is RDS available in?
RDS is only available in Canada. 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 KingdomAustraliaNew ZealandIrelandGermanyFranceJapanIndiaNetherlandsSouth AfricaBrazil
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 TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUAEUgandaUkraineUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamYemenZambiaZimbabweRDS is blocked in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, 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 5, 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 RDS Cost?
Most Popular
RDS (Mensuel)
≈ $18.11
/month
Approximate price · billed in CAD
- Up to 1080p
- Ad-free
- No offline downloads
RDS (Annuel)
≈ $144.83
/year
Approximate price · billed in CAD
Save 33%
- Up to 1080p
- Ad-free
- No offline downloads
Forfait Crave RDS
≈ $19.56
/month
Approximate price · billed in CAD
- Up to 1080p
- Ad-free
- No offline downloads
PoliciesNo refund guaranteeAccount sharing allowed
Ready to subscribe to RDS?
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 RDS
RDS, or Réseau des sports, is Canada’s leading French-language sports network and the francophone sister of TSN, owned by Bell Media (80%) with ESPN (20%). Across RDS, RDS2 and RDS Info plus the RDS app it carries the Montreal Canadiens, Formula 1, the Super Bowl in French, NASCAR, the Tour de France, MLS and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The stream is sold only to Canadian subscribers, so abroad it geo-blocks. A VPN with a Canadian IP address brings it back.
Company and history
Major changes
- Brewer Labatt launched Réseau des sports (RDS) as the French-language sister of the English TSN, giving francophone Canada its first specialty sports channel.
- The network added a French sports news channel under the name RIS, later renamed RDS Info, complementing the main station with round-the-clock coverage.
- To coincide with the baseball post-season the network launched a second channel, RDS2, widening room for simultaneous broadcasts and covering more sports at once.
- RDS signed a twelve-year regional deal with the Montreal Canadiens, making the channel the French-language home of the Habs through the 2025-26 season.
- Sean Cohan became president of parent Bell Media and steered the company toward a heavier focus on streaming, from the Crave service to the RDS and TSN sports apps.
- The Canadiens, RDS and TSN announced a new long-term agreement under which RDS will carry forty-five regional Habs games in French from the 2026-27 season.
- RDS prepared to broadcast the 2026 FIFA World Cup in French, as Bell Media holds the Canadian rights and entrusted the francophone coverage to RDS and RDS2.
Still can’t open RDS where you are?
Connect Surfshark, pick a supported country, and you’re streaming RDS in minutes, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Devices & Quality
Watch on all your devices
Supported devices
Video quality
1080pHDRDolby VisionDolby Atmos
UX features
Continue watchingParental controls
Accessibility
Closed captions
Insider Tips
Tips & tricks you should know
4 tips from our RDS testing team · Updated June 5, 2026
- Connect your VPN to a Canadian server before you open rds.ca, ideally near Montreal or Quebec City, so live broadcasts have the lowest possible latency.
- A new subscription is easiest to set up while still in Canada with a Canadian card; a VPN restores only your location, not the Canadian payment method.
- All commentary is in French; if you want the same games in English, reach for sister network TSN, which shares most of the rights.
- Montreal Canadiens games are regional, so they apply only to the team's designated area; a VPN on a Canadian server mimics that region.
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 RDS.
RDS sells its subscription to Canadian viewers only, so outside Canada the broadcast is blocked and you see an unavailable notice. Connect Surfshark to a Canadian server, refresh the app or website, and the live channels and archive load in up to 1080p, just as a viewer in Canada sees them. The key is to connect the VPN before you open the page.
The standalone RDS stream runs to ≈ $17.87/mo, with the annual plan cutting the overall total. There is also a bundle with Crave. Prices are in Canadian dollars and bill to a Canadian card, so from abroad you can only reach checkout through Surfshark on a Canadian IP address.
Yes. RDS is a paid service tied to a Canadian account and usually a Canadian payment method. A VPN restores your Canadian location but not the billing, so a fresh subscription is easiest to set up while still in Canada. After that, Surfshark on a Canadian server lets you sign in from anywhere.
RDS is the French-language home of Canadian sport: the Montreal Canadiens, Formula 1, the Super Bowl in French, NASCAR, the Tour de France, MLS and the tennis Grand Slams. In summer 2026 it adds the FIFA World Cup in French. From abroad, Surfshark on a Canadian server unlocks all of it, live and on demand.
Yes, RDS has been the French-language home of the Habs since the late 1980s. Under a new long-term deal it will carry forty-five regional games in French from the 2026/27 season, available to viewers in the team’s designated region. From abroad you tune in through Surfshark on a Canadian server.
They are sister networks under the same owner, Bell Media: TSN broadcasts in English, RDS in French, mainly for Quebec. They share many rights, so big events run in parallel in both languages with different commentary. From abroad you unlock either one through Surfshark on a Canadian server.
RDS2 is a second channel for simultaneous broadcasts when several games overlap, while RDS Info is a round-the-clock sports news channel. Both complement the main RDS feed and are part of the subscription. Outside Canada you watch them through Surfshark on a Canadian server, just like the main station.
RDS has apps for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Samsung and LG smart TVs, alongside the web and Chromecast. On a foreign smart TV you may need to set your app store region to Canada first so the app installs and Surfshark can unlock the broadcast.
Using a VPN is legal in Canada and across most of the world, and watching sport you legitimately subscribe to through one is not a crime. You should still respect RDS’s terms, which are written for Canadian viewers. With Surfshark this is an ordinary encrypted connection that also protects you on foreign and public networks.
Most often RDS spotted your real location from a stored cookie or an overloaded IP address. Clear your cookies, close the app fully and connect Surfshark to a different Canadian server. A quieter city helps. For live sport it also pays to have a fast line so the broadcast catches quickly after you switch servers.
Live broadcasts and the archive run in up to 1080p with stereo sound and French commentary. There is no 4K tier on the RDS stream, which keeps bandwidth demands sensible. For smooth sport over Surfshark a stable line from around ten megabits per second upward is plenty.
Yes, in French. Bell Media holds the Canadian rights and entrusted the French-language coverage to RDS and RDS2, with English on TSN and CTV. Many matches stream live on RDS. From outside Canada you watch them by connecting Surfshark to a Canadian server and signing in.
Ready to watch RDS without borders?
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