How to Install FreetuxTV on Ubuntu Linux 22.04 | 20.04

FreetuxTV is a free GTK WebTV and Web Radio player for Linux created by the FreetuxTV project. The GUI is developed in GTK and uses the VLC engine to display the channels. FreetuxTV has been designed with simplicity in mind, and as such, it has a very user-friendly interface so you can easily browse the available channels and add your favorite ones to your list. You can also record your favorite programs and watch them later.

The following tutorial will teach you how to install FreetuxTV on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 LTS Linux using a LaunchPAD APT PPA with the command line terminal. Also, the tutorial will cover how to install the stable or, for users that prefer bleeding-edge software, the unstable PPA for alternative installations.

Recommended Steps Before Installation

Before you begin with the tutorial, it is recommended to start with an upgrade and, if necessary, reboot to make sure all your system packages are up-to-date to avoid any issues.

Before proceeding with the tutorial, ensuring your system is up-to-date with all existing packages is good.

sudo apt update

Optionally, you can list the updates for users who require review or are curious.

sudo apt --list upgradable

Proceed to upgrade any outdated packages using the following command.

sudo apt upgrade

Install FreetuxTV – APT PPA Method

The best APT package manager method is importing and installing the PPA by the “FreetuxTV Developers” team. A benefit of using the PPAs instead of the Ubuntu standard repository is that you will receive the latest stable updates with the PPAs and provide the unstable upstream version for those who prefer having the latest bleeding-edge release.

Note that both the unstable and stable versions share the same installation, so if you import both, the repository with the latest version will always be chosen. In most cases, this will be the unstable upstream version.

First, install the required packages.

sudo apt install dirmngr ca-certificates software-properties-common apt-transport-https -y

For users who have not previously imported a GPG key from the Ubuntu keyserver, the command line terminal will often have issues importing GPG keys from LaunchPAD PPAs because the directories are not created. This is an easy fix. Use the following command that will, in turn, generate the directories.

This can be skipped, but if you encounter an issue, just run the command and re-try.

sudo gpg --list-keys

Example output:

gpg: directory '/root/.gnupg' created
gpg: keybox '/root/.gnupg/pubring.kbx' created
gpg: /root/.gnupg/trustdb.gpg: trustdb created

Next, import the GPG key.

sudo gpg --no-default-keyring --keyring /usr/share/keyrings/freetuxtv.gpg --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 01BB00E2DDDC3317F637489E7E8C913A99AA8CD6

Example output:

gpg: keybox '/usr/share/keyrings/freetuxtv.gpg' created
gpg: key 7E8C913A99AA8CD6: public key "Launchpad FreetuxTV" imported
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg:               imported: 1

Now import the APT repository using the following command. Remember, each Ubuntu version maintained will have a different repository.

Import Ubuntu 22.10 FreetuxTV Repository

Import stable:

echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/freetuxtv.gpg] https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/freetuxtv/freetuxtv/ubuntu kinetic main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/freetuxtv.list

Import unstable:

echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/freetuxtv.gpg] https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/freetuxtv/freetuxtv-dev/ubuntu kinetic main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/freetuxtv.list

Import Ubuntu 22.04 FreetuxTV Repository

Import stable:

echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/freetuxtv.gpg] https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/freetuxtv/freetuxtv/ubuntu jammy main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/freetuxtv.list

Import unstable:

echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/freetuxtv.gpg] https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/freetuxtv/freetuxtv-dev/ubuntu jammy main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/freetuxtv.list

Import Ubuntu 20.04 FreetuxTV Repository

Import stable:

echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/freetuxtv.gpg] https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/freetuxtv/freetuxtv/ubuntu focal main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/freetuxtv.list

Import unstable:

echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/freetuxtv.gpg] https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/freetuxtv/freetuxtv-dev/ubuntu focal main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/freetuxtv.list

Before you continue, run an APT update to reflect the newly imported PPA.

sudo apt update

Now install the package using the following command.

sudo apt-get install freetuxtv

Launch FreetuxTV

Launching can be done in a few ways now that you have the software installed.

First, the software can be launched using the following command for desktop users.

freetuxtv

Most desktop users may elect to use the application icon, which can be achieved using the following path.

Activities > Show Applications> FreetuxTV.

Example:

When you arrive at your first screen, you will have “Add a group.” You can select one from a list of “Languages/Channel groups” predefined or add a “Custom channels group.”

Example:

The tutorial added a few channels from the existing public list that comes with FreetuxTV, and you will see the channels added successfully if all works out; if not, you will get an error message.

Example:

Expand the channel, pick a selection to play where you can watch, record, and much more. If you add international channels, you may get buffering depending on your network and the target location.

Additional Commands & Tips

Update FreetuxTV

The best method to ensure your installation is up-to-date is to open the command line terminal and run the following command.

sudo apt upgrade && sudo apt upgrade

The command will also ensure all other packages that use the APT package manager, including your system packages, are up-to-date. I suggest that users new to Linux run this command frequently to ensure your system works as intended, even if you have automatic GUI updates or notifications.

Remove FreetuxTV

Use one of the following commands to suit the original installation method for users who no longer require the application.

sudo apt autoremove freetuxtv -y

Next, you should remove the PPA for users who will not use the software again.

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/freetuxtv.list