Only if they're playing chess. BTW, RobertD, I see you're from Toronto; I've only been to Toronto once, and I found it totally enjoyable. Absolutely great. Of course, that might have had something to do with its being my wedding night.
Sigh. Watching TV in French would mean watching French-speaking TV. Watching the French on TV would mean either watching French people on TV (probably speaking French), or watching the French Defence being played on TV.