If you’re a UK citizen on vacation or an expat working overseas looking to watch UK TV online, you’re likely aware of the geo-restrictions imposed by some of the biggest streaming platforms, including BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and Channel 4. This means you’ll struggle to maintain access to your UK-based subscriptions like NOW as well as the aforementioned free services that TV license-paying Brits can otherwise watch to their heart’s content.
The answer to this dilemma is the use of a VPN (virtual private network), A VPN is a piece of software that you can download on just about any device (desktop, smartphone, etc.) and connect to a location in the UK (VPNs have thousands of servers with locations based around the world). This will conceal your actual IP address (Internet Protocol) and make it appear as if you are browsing from within the UK.
Our sister site, Tom’s Guide, ranks NordVPN as the best VPN overall and, in particular, for streaming and unblocking. In its NordVPN review, it states: “Streaming performance is becoming increasingly important, and it’s clear that NordVPN has put a lot of effort into delivering a good service to its users,” able to unblock top streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus, BBC iPlayer, and ITVX.
To watch UK TV online as if you were at home with a VPN, simply follow these steps:
1. Choose and install a VPN – as mentioned, our go-to service to recommend for unblocking is NordVPN, costing from $3.99 a month with its 2-year plan.
2. Connect to a server – NordVPN has over 6,000 servers based across 100+ countries. For UK TV services, you’ll want to connect to a server based in the UK.
3. Go to the platform you wish to access – to watch UK TV, visit platforms like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and more.
The only way to legally access UK TV abroad for free is by circumventing geo-restrictions with a VPN as long as you are accessing these services as you would while back home. Of course, you must bear in mind that to watch UK TV live, you’ll need a TV license in the UK. This also goes for watching BBC iPlayer’s on-demand library. Any other methods of accessing free streams for UK content while overseas are likely forms of piracy.
