Content & Catalog
What to watch on Shine TV?
253+
Total titles
Content TypesMovies · Series · Live TV · Documentaries · Kids · Originals
Ad-supported VODWorks with VPNUpdated September 14, 2026
Reviewed by Marketa Horackova · 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 Shine TV from Anywhere: VPN Guide 2026
In July 2026 Shine TV added The First Drop to its Shine Originals strand, an observational documentary about a Maasai community in northern Tanzania and its daily search for water. Watching it costs nothing, because this Auckland channel sells no subscription at all: Rhema Media, the nonprofit that runs it, covers the bills with donations, the Shineathon appeal and advertising. A free account unlocks 222 series, 31 films and a live channel that New Zealanders also pick up on Freeview 25.
Press play from a US connection, though, and the player answers that the video is not currently available in your country. We checked on September 8, 2026 from a connection outside New Zealand: of 174 live video pages, 124 stopped there, or 71 percent. Every family film failed, 41 of 41, and documentaries went down 39 of 42. Ask is Shine TV available in the US and the honest answer is that you can browse the entire catalog and watch none of it.
253+
Total titles
1
Country
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VPNs work
1 min
Ready in
Quick answer
Is Shine TV available in the US?
No. The catalog loads and the artwork looks inviting, but the rights sit with New Zealand, so playback stops with a country message. Our sweep on September 8, 2026 hit that wall on 124 of 174 live pages, including every family movie and Running For Grace. Point ExpressVPN at a New Zealand server and both the live channel and the on demand library start normally, in a browser and in the Shine TV app. Nothing to pay either way.
VPN Compatibility
Best VPN for Shine TV
Tested weekly by our team. Green: works, amber: partial, red: blocked.
| VPN Service | Price | Shine TV | Tested | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 ExpressVPNBEST | From $2.79/mo | ✓ Works | September 13 | Try it |
 NordVPN | From $2.99/mo | ✓ Works | September 14 | Open |
 Surfshark | From $1.78/mo | ✓ Works | September 12 | Open |
 Private Internet Access | From $1.79/mo | ✓ Works | September 11 | Open |
 CyberGhost | From $1.75/mo | ✓ Works | September 12 | Open |
 IPVanish | From $2.19/mo | ✓ Works | September 8 | Open |
 ProtonVPN | From $3.59/mo | ✓ Works | September 10 | Open |
✓ WorksTested September 13
✓ WorksTested September 14
✓ WorksTested September 12
✓ WorksTested September 11
✓ WorksTested September 12
✓ WorksTested September 8
✓ WorksTested September 10
Tested on September 14, 2026 · 7 VPNs, 7 working · residential IP from New Zealand · Shine 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 Shine TV with a VPN
Takes about 2 minutes. Works on your phone, tablet, TV, PC, or laptop.
- Pick a VPN with New Zealand serversGo with ExpressVPN. New Zealand coverage is the only box that matters here, and monthly plans start at $2.79.Free VPNs rarely carry a New Zealand location at all, and the few addresses they do offer are long since flagged.
- Connect to a New Zealand locationChoose New Zealand in the app and let the tunnel settle. Then run any IP checker and confirm it reads Auckland or Wellington before you go any further.
- Open Shine TV and sign inRegistration is free and takes a minute: an email address and a password. The same login works on the website and in the app, so you only do this once.
- Test a title that failed beforeA loading home page proves nothing, since browsing works without a VPN. Start a film that was blocked earlier, Lost on a Mountain in Maine for instance, and only call it done when the picture actually rolls.Still blocked? Switch to a second New Zealand server, clear the tab and reload the video page.
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Availability
Which countries is Shine TV available in?
Shine TV is only available in New Zealand. 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 KingdomAustraliaCanadaIrelandGermanyFranceJapanIndiaNetherlandsSouth AfricaBrazil
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Available
Blocked / unavailable
Last tested: September 8, 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 Shine TV
Shine TV, New Zealand’s first nationwide Christian television network, is run by Rhema Media, an Auckland nonprofit that also owns Rhema, Life FM and Sanctuary radio. On air since December 2002, it sits on Freeview channel 25, free and ad supported, with 222 series and 31 movies on demand. Rights stop at the border, so abroad you can browse but not play: from a Czech address on September 8, 2026, 124 of 174 video pages, 71 percent, would not start.
Company and history
Previously known as
Freedom TV
Major changes
- Freedom TV signed on in Christchurch on analog UHF channel 56. It served a single city at first, yet it was the seed of a nationwide Christian television project in New Zealand.
- UCB, Alpha Video Trust and Dove Ministries joined forces with Freedom TV to build a national broadcast center in Auckland, the facility that a year later opened the door to nationwide coverage.
- The channel joined the Rhema Broadcasting Group, known today as Rhema Media, which put television under the same nonprofit roof as the national Christian radio networks Rhema and Life FM.
- The channel was renamed Shine TV and launched nationwide on SKY's digital satellite platform at position 99, while the analog UHF signal in Canterbury kept running alongside it.
- Shine TV released its own iPhone and iPad app, putting the on demand library and the live channel in one place for the first time, with no dish or aerial involved.
- Luke Weston took over as chief executive of Rhema Media, succeeding Andrew Fraser. He had spent eleven years running content for the group's radio arm, which he first joined as a presenter.
- Rhema Media retired the Star station, replaced it with the worship-focused Sanctuary and shipped a separate radio app. The new brand later crossed into television through the program Sanctuary on Shine.
- The First Drop joined the Shine Originals strand, an observational documentary about a Maasai community in northern Tanzania and its daily search for water.
Trust signals
Still can’t open Shine TV where you are?
Connect ExpressVPN, pick a supported country, and you’re streaming Shine TV in minutes, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Devices & Quality
Watch on all your devices
Supported devices
Video quality
HDRDolby VisionDolby Atmos
Insider Tips
Tips & tricks you should know
5 tips from our Shine TV testing team · Updated September 8, 2026
- We opened 174 video pages from a European address on September 8, 2026 and 124 refused to play; only ExpressVPN on a New Zealand server fixes that.
- Everything the homepage pushes is locked from abroad, including Running For Grace and The First Hymn, along with all 41 family movies and all 6 kids shows.
- There is no paid tier, no trial and no card: Shine TV runs free with ads after a quick sign up, so location, not price, is the barrier.
- Apple TV 4th generation, Fire TV, Android TV and Roku 3rd generation run a VPN app themselves; Samsung 2019 to 2023 and LG sets need one on the router.
- Sign up before you click Watch Live or Schedule, because logged out both bounce you back to the catalog; in New Zealand the channel sits on Freeview 25.
Alternatives
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before you start watching Shine TV.
Nothing. The operator says it plainly on the site: watch free, no monthly fee, advertising pays for the content. There is no paid tier and no trial, so there is nothing to cancel later. A free account is the only requirement. Donations and the Shineathon appeal keep the lights on. You can chip in, but it changes nothing about access.
Yes. The player will not start without one. Signing up is free and takes about a minute: email address, password, done. The account remembers where you stopped, so you can pick an episode back up on another device, and the same credentials work on the website and in the app. Even so, a US connection still gets you nowhere until ExpressVPN puts you on a New Zealand server.
Apple TV from the fourth generation, Roku from the third, plus Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Samsung sets from 2019 through 2023 and LG Smart TV. On mobile there are iPhone, iPad and Android builds. In a browser, Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge all work. The operator publishes no resolution figures and its terms explicitly decline to guarantee any particular picture quality.
The Shine TV library holds 222 series and 31 films, plus more than a hundred themed playlists. The annual report says movies and the drama When Calls The Heart pull the biggest on demand audiences. Around them sit the in-house Shine Originals, documentaries, kids and family shows, music, conference recordings and Stories from Aotearoa, a strand of homegrown New Zealand storytelling.
On September 8, 2026 we walked 174 live video pages and 124 returned the country message. Family movies failed completely, 41 of 41. Documentaries went down 39 of 42, kids and family shows 6 of 6, the 2026 Shine Originals four of six and Stories from Aotearoa five of nine. Even the titles the service promotes on its own front page were blocked, Running For Grace and The First Hymn among them.
Yes. The site carries both a Watch Live button and a broadcast schedule, and the app mirrors them, but neither starts from a US address. Connect ExpressVPN to New Zealand and the live feed and the on demand library both come back with no extra setup. At home the channel also sits on Freeview 25, over an aerial, by satellite or in the Freeview Streaming TV app.
No. A geographic lock and VPN detection are two different mechanisms, and only the first one is in play here. Our sweep and an independent reader check both showed playback running normally on a New Zealand IP address, in a browser and in the app. Neither the terms of service nor the help pages mention VPNs at all. Judge a provider on one thing: whether it actually lists New Zealand.
Rhema Media Incorporated, a not-for-profit incorporated society and a registered charity based on Upper Queen Street in Auckland. The same organization runs the Rhema, Life FM and Sanctuary radio networks and publishes two devotional titles. Its annual report puts the television audience at 119,000 viewers and the whole group at 340,000 people a week, with television coverage reaching the entire country.
Three ways, none of them behind a paywall. The channel sits on Freeview 25, which reaches homes through a UHF aerial, through a satellite dish or through the Freeview Streaming TV app. On top of that there is the website and the dedicated app with the same live feed and library. That free-to-air footing is exactly why the licensing stops at the border and travels no further.
Ratings say yes. The iOS app, first published in March 2021, averages 4.82 from 175 votes, and the Android build sits at 4.74 from 406 votes with more than ten thousand downloads. Both carry the live channel and the full library. One caution: the app you want is Shine TV. Rhema Media also ships a separate radio app, which is a different product entirely.
The business model rhymes, the catalog does not. Tubi and Pluto TV are advertising-funded US services with tens of thousands of licensed titles and a broad remit. This is a single Christian broadcaster with 253 titles, its own documentaries and a nonprofit behind it rather than a studio. And unlike those two, it is locked to New Zealand, so ExpressVPN is the difference between browsing and watching.
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