TV in Crete

TV in Crete means more than Greek television. Expats can watch Greek free-to-air channels, Greek pay-TV packages by satellite or internet, and streaming services, and plenty of programmes are in English.

Films, live sport, news, magazine shows and series are all available in English in some form. The options are set out below.

TV Sets

To watch TV in Crete you need a television that works with Greek broadcasts. A common question when moving to Crete is whether to bring a TV from the UK or buy one on the island.

Greece switched off analogue TV and moved to digital terrestrial broadcasting in 2015, according to Digea, the Greek digital network operator. Greek channels are broadcast in DVB-T with MPEG-4 video, so a TV needs a tuner that supports that standard. The old advice that a UK set cannot pick up Greek channels through an aerial dates from the analogue era. Check your TV’s specification before you ship it.

A UK TV can also be used with a satellite or internet TV box. Modern receivers connect by HDMI, and SCART is found only on older equipment.

Buying a TV in Crete keeps your options open. Our shopping in Crete guide has useful information on where to buy electrical goods.

Regular Greek TV

Regular Greek TV is free to watch with a TV and an aerial. Most programmes are in Greek, and many are hard to follow unless you speak Greek well.

Greek channels also show many English-language programmes, mostly American, with Greek subtitles rather than dubbing. Hollywood films and US series appear regularly, along with some French and Italian films.

The main national Greek channels take most viewers, and Crete also has a few local channels of its own.

Greek programmes are an eclectic mix of soaps, game shows, family dramas and films. The soaps can be baffling, but many game shows use familiar formats, and Greek versions of shows such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire have aired over the years. Old Greek films get a good airing too, usually with a comic or dashing hero.

Free TV alone may not be enough on long winter evenings. It would almost be worth learning Greek just to enjoy it.

Pay TV and Streaming in Crete

Pay TV in Crete comes mainly from 2 Greek providers: Nova and MagentaTV, which was formerly called Cosmote TV. Both sell packages with films, sport and documentary channels. Nova has long offered satellite TV through a small dish and receiver, which an installer sets up for a fee, and both providers sell TV over the internet.

Channel line-ups, box features and prices change often. Check the current packages on the Nova website and the MagentaTV website before you sign up.

Streaming services such as Netflix are available in Greece. MagentaTV also sells packages that bundle Netflix with its own channels.