Stateside Euro TV fans, it’s time to do a happy dance. The Vibrant TV Network is bringing more exclusive foreign-language programs for us to watch and binge-watch.
La vita è bella. For Euro TV fans in the States, life is molto bella, as we have another source for exclusive Euro TV shows: Vibrant TV Network.
Launched in December 2014, Vibrant TV offers international programs with crossover appeal, including English-subtitled, foreign-language programs from across the Atlantic. This is great for viewers who are already devoted to Euro TV, as well as those who haven’t yet experienced television entertainment from beyond American (or even Canadian) borders.
When Vibrant TV founder Dan Zifkin and I spoke, he shared that the Vibrant TV team, consisting of people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, etc., screen thousands of hours of programming and curate titles to appeal to viewers across age demos and tastes. Thus the variety of genres available on the network, from drama and comedy, to reality and sports.
For Euro TV fans specifically, current Vibrant TV offerings include only English-subtitled shows from Italy, but Dan assured me that programs from other countries are coming.
Last night I watched an episode of The Teacher (Provaci ancora prof!) via Vibrant TV’s free live stream (more about this below). Based on stories by Italian novelist Margherita Oggero, this delightful mystery series centers on a high school teacher who inadvertently gets involved in crimes (read: murders) and, after putting on her amateur detective hat, ends up helping the local police in Rome to solve them. Seasons 1 and 2 (10 episodes) of The Teacher are streaming now at Vibrant TV. (My review is coming soon.)
Speaking of streaming, this is just one of the ways viewers can access the shows on Vibrant TV. You can stream programs as they air via the Vibrant TV simulcast live stream for free, or whenever you like, on various devices, with a Vibrant TV subscription.
Before you roll your eyes at yet another subscription service, know that Vibrant TV has two introductory offers:
- The $1.99/month subscription, which comes with a free 14-day trial
- The $9.95/6-month subscription, which gives you 6 months for the price of 5.
With either subscription, you can watch full episodes of shows at the Vibrant TV website on desk- and laptops as well as Android and iOs smartphones and tablets; with Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and select models of Smart TVs (Bang & Olufsen, Panasonic, Philips, Sharp) and Opera TV-enabled Smart TVs and Blu-ray players (Samsung, Sony); at FilmOn and Klowd; and through Opera TV apps.
For folks who aren’t into streaming or subscriptions, viewers in southwest Colorado and Jackson, Mississippi, as well as Adams Cable subscribers in northeast Pennsylvania, can watch shows for free when they are broadcast on telly.
A few of the other Italian programs available on Vibrant TV right now include:
Crimes (Crimini)
The first season of this Italian noir anthology series features eight feature-length episodes set in different cities, with unique casts, and based on stories by some of Italy’s top crime writers, including Andrea Camilleri (“Montalbano” novels), Diego De Silva, Carlo Lucarelli (“Inspector De Luca”), Massimo Carlotto (“Alligator”), Sandrone Dazieri (“Gorilla”), and Marcello Fois (“Bustianu”), amongst others.
Marry Me (Sposami)
Loosely based on Hollywood romantic comedies, this six-part miniseries follows the misadventures of a married couple who decide to divorce after the husband has an affair.
Queens of Swing (Le Ragazze Dello Swing)
Based on the book Le regine dello swing by Gabriele Eschenazi, this two-part miniseries is a fictionalized telling of the true story of three Dutch sisters whose singing in Italy during the 1930s and ’40s brings them fame as well as unwanted attention from the Fascist government. The three actresses who portray the sisters shared the Monte-Carlo TV Festival Best Actress in a Miniseries award in 2011.
Youth: Things That Remain (Le cose che restano)
This four-part drama follows the breakdown of a family in Rome, in the aftermath of the youngest son’s death in a tragic car accident.
Vibrant TV also screens series from Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. To see all of the network’s current offerings and to sign up for your free subscription trial (so you can get more of your Euro TV on this weekend), visit the website.
__________________
Add your comments on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Share this post/page.