Watching Belgian TV abroad: Pickx, Auvio, VOO

Yes, you can watch your Belgian channels in another European Union country, and without paying anything more: since 1 April 2018, a European regulation has required your operator to follow you during a temporary stay. Pickx, the Telenet TV app, VOO TV+ and the Orange TV app therefore work in Nice just as they do in Namur. Outside the EU, the answer is no.

Can I watch my Belgian channels from another European Union country?

Yes, if you live in Belgium and your stay is temporary.

Regulation (EU) 2017/1128 on the cross-border portability of online content services is the basis for everything. It says three useful things. A paid service must give you, in another member state, the same content, on the same devices and with the same features as at home. It cannot charge you extra for it. And a contract clause that would forbid it is worthless.

The text leaves two doors open. A free service, such as Auvio from RTBF, the French-speaking public broadcaster, or VRT MAX from VRT, its Flemish counterpart, is free to apply portability or not. And picture quality may be lower abroad, as long as the operator does not degrade it on purpose.

The regulation sets no length of stay. It reasons in terms of country of residence, checked by the operator when you subscribe. That is why the apps sometimes ask for a Belgian address, a Belgian mobile number or a first login from your home network before you leave.

Which operator apps work abroad, and on what conditions?

The four big ones, across the whole European Union. None outside the EU.

On 13 October 2026 I went back through the help pages of the four operators. Here is what they say, next to the off-promotion price of the bundle you keep paying while on holiday.

The most common trap is at Orange. The Orange TV app accepts the Wi-Fi of a rental and the 4G of an Orange Belgium SIM card, but not a hotspot shared from another operator's phone. If the whole family is on Proximus Mobile and only the home bundle is with Orange, plan on the rental's Wi-Fi.

At VOO, the VOO TV+ help page states that Switzerland is not part of the zone. I mention it because it is exactly where subscribers from Liège head for skiing in February.

In 2018, when the rule came into force, I was still installing set-top boxes around Namur. The July calls came almost all from Spain or Provence, and the problem was never the law. It was a forgotten MyProximus password, or an app never installed before leaving.

Does European portability apply to Auvio and RTL play?

Yes for Auvio and VRT MAX, which chose to apply it. RTL play stays largely closed.

Auvio and VRT MAX are free, so they can decide whether to apply the rule. Both do, each with its own check.

• Auvio: in your profile, under « Accès Auvio en Europe », you give a Belgian postal address and a Belgian mobile number, then receive a four-digit code by text message.
• VRT MAX: a check of Belgian residence, after which the live streams of VRT 1, Canvas and Ketnet stay visible in the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, according to VRT's own page, consulted on 1 October 2026.
• RTL play: outside Belgium and Luxembourg, the app listing only promised news programmes as of 1 October 2026.
• Netflix and the other paid platforms: the regulation requires them to follow you, since you pay.

That nuance matters for RTL-TVI. If your evening series airs on RTL, your operator's app is the only legal route abroad, and it requires a paid TV subscription.

What happens outside the European Union?

The screen shows a blocking message. The regulation stops at the EU's borders.

Proximus spells it out on its page of 15 July 2026: outside the EU, Pickx programmes are no longer available. VOO says the same for VOO TV+. Telenet and Orange promise nothing beyond the Union. Watch out for destinations that look like they belong: Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Turkey and the non-EU Balkans are all outside.

Once there, the only legal option is a streaming service available in the country you are in, with its local catalogue. Proximus itself recommends it. I do not recommend a VPN to get around the block: the apps' terms of use forbid it, and I have no wish to see you lose access to your account in the middle of a trip.

How much data does TV use on holiday?

A lot. Enough to empty a plan in a week.

When portability launched in 2018, Telenet estimated that a 45-minute episode watched over 3G used about 600 MB. Brought to one hour a day, that is roughly 800 MB daily, or 5.6 GB over a week of holiday, for one person and at reduced quality. In high definition, count on a good deal more.

In the EU, the « roam like at home » rule of the European Commission lets you use your Belgian data at the Belgian price. An « unlimited » plan is not unlimited abroad, though: a fair use limit applies, calculated by your operator. Telenet also points out that some nearby countries, such as Switzerland and Turkey, fall outside the rule.

How do you prepare your TV before leaving, in five steps?

1. Install your operator's app on your phone or tablet, and log in once from home.
2. Check your logins: MyProximus, Telenet account, VOO account, MyOrange. A password forgotten in Malaga is hard to recover.
3. Validate Auvio and VRT MAX for Europe while you still have your Belgian phone at hand.
4. In the app, turn on Wi-Fi-only playback, or lower the quality if you are relying on 4G.
5. Slip a Chromecast into the suitcase if the rental has a television with a free HDMI port. Proximus suggests it, and it beats a six-inch screen.

To go further, see free live TV in Belgium, Netflix prices against a TV subscription, or the TV subscription ranking, sorted on the second-year price.

Sources. Regulation (EU) 2017/1128 of 14 June 2017, applicable since 1 April 2018; European Commission, Your Europe, mobile roaming, consulted on 13 October 2026; Proximus, « Regarder la télévision à l'étranger », 15 July 2026; Orange Belgium help page on where to watch live TV, consulted on 13 October 2026; VOO, minimum requirements for the VOO TV+ app, consulted on 13 October 2026; Telenet, « TV kijken op vakantie », 15 January 2024; VRT NWS, 11 February 2018 (Telenet's data estimate); « VRT in het buitenland » page, Auvio FAQ and RTL play app listing, consulted on 1 October 2026; off-promotion prices for Proximus checked on 27 September 2026, Telenet on 9 October 2026, Orange on 3 October 2026, VOO price list of 1 January 2026.