UPDATE: As of 2/15/10 this method for watching CCTV online no longer works due to some change CCTV has made on their end regarding streaming. Once I figure out how to fix this, I’ll post another update.

There’s nothing like a lazy-Sunday of simply laying in bed or on the couch and flipping channels all afternoon. Unfortunately this becomes boring quickly when you only have 2 channels like I have. I guess I could buy myself a satellite dish but I can’t justify the purchase. Fortunately I stumbled across a great blog post from Bill Glover, another expat from the UK. Bill had discovered that it was possible to watch CCTV streaming live online.

For those of you who are interested in learning Chinese, watching CCTV can be an invaluable resource. In fact, students ask me how they can learn more English and I recommend watching some easy TV shows and movies. So it only makes sense that we Chinese learners should do the same.

A quick and dirty way to watch CCTV: use VLC Media Player

1. Open VLC
2. File > Open Network
3. Copy URL of the desired channel into the dialogue box
4. Click “Open” and enjoy

Unfortunately, I think this method is a bit tedious, so I’ve simplified it by creating an M3U playlist, which can easily be played in Windows Media Player, Winamp, VLC, etc. This makes it much easier to “channel surf” and enjoy watching TV again. Grab the playlist here: http://drop.io/cctvplaylist

To give props, where they’re due, check out Bill Glover’s site: http://billglover.co.uk/