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February 5, 2026 9:42 am  #1


Does This Broadcast TV App Work On Your Phone?

This is the first time I've ever heard of "LocalTV+."

It's an app that carries most of the local TV stations in the Boston market and only works within 100 miles of Beantown. But if you have a VPN, that should not really be an issue. The app allows viewers to watch all the over-the-air signals of stations in that market - including all the major networks - in real time. And best of all, it's completely free. 

I could not get it to work on my system but your mileage may differ. This is one of those innovations that may not be around for a long time, since many broadcasters object to having their signals carried over the Internet, with no remuneration for them and they may challenge this in court. (Similar ideas in the past have been effectively sued out of business.) So if you try it and it works for you with your VPN set to Boston, enjoy it while it lasts. 

You can try it here. 

All this stems from an excellent article about sending broadcast signals over the web, which the authors maintain is pretty much the same as getting those channels for free over an antenna. It's been an ongoing point of contention since the dawn of streaming and many others who've tried this in local markets have quickly been legislated into oblivion. Still, I love the idea of your phone turning into a local TV set and I wish there as a Local TV+ here. But the Bells, Rogers and the CRTC will almost certainly never allow it in Canada. 

Free The Airwaves: Why Local TV Should Be Streamable For Everyone

 

February 5, 2026 11:00 am  #2


Re: Does This Broadcast TV App Work On Your Phone?

"This app is not available in your country" is the message I'm getting on my Android when I try to download it, even after I set my VPN to Boston.

 

February 5, 2026 11:08 am  #3


Re: Does This Broadcast TV App Work On Your Phone?

Probably uses your phone's location data rather than IP.

To me, it's one of those in-between "what's the point?" technologies. Once I've decided to stream for video, I don't really need the local channels anymore - other than for local news, which is already usually made available online.

 

February 5, 2026 11:56 am  #4


Re: Does This Broadcast TV App Work On Your Phone?

eladb wrote:

"This app is not available in your country" is the message I'm getting on my Android when I try to download it, even after I set my VPN to Boston.

Same with me. Guess I will have to make do with the NY and LA feeds on the alternative sites.

 

February 5, 2026 11:57 am  #5


Re: Does This Broadcast TV App Work On Your Phone?

RadioAaron wrote:

Probably uses your phone's location data rather than IP.

To me, it's one of those in-between "what's the point?" technologies. Once I've decided to stream for video, I don't really need the local channels anymore - other than for local news, which is already usually made available online.

For the non OTA crowd, it is good for avoiding simsub.

 

February 5, 2026 8:05 pm  #6


Re: Does This Broadcast TV App Work On Your Phone?

eladb wrote:

"This app is not available in your country" is the message I'm getting on my Android when I try to download it, even after I set my VPN to Boston.

If there was an apk file for this app available, then it would be able to possibly work.