The UK offers a wide variety of channels and television programs for you to watch such as ITV, BBC, and Sky. Certain services will enable you to catch the shows you have missed. If you are not living in the UK or you are away from home, you still have options to watch these great shows while abroad. While the majority of UK TV channels have been blocked for anyone out of the country, or geoblocked, there are ways you can get around this issue.
Live UK Television
You can enjoy UK TV from all over the world with a web browser. Browser plugins and installing software are unnecessary. FilmOn offers 26 free channels such as CBBC, BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 5, ITV1, BBC News, E4 and Channel 4. This works through flash video embedding. Smartphones and tablets can be used through a mobile site.
These broadcasts can only be watched for free in standard definition. The quality of the picture and sound is a little shaky but its better than missing a critical news bulletin or sensational football match. Your channel selection is limited, so TV broadcasts must be found elsewhere. Websites like iTV player, 40D and iPlayer can be used by installing a plugin.
WatchBritishTV
WatchBritishTV gives you live streams for all the main channels such as Dave and Film4. You can stream recent shows approximately six hours after they have aired. You can search by name because they are not categorized by genre or channel due to copyright issues.
You need to subscribe, but the basic subscription is free. The iPlayer and Sky Go services are only available if you are paying a fee so it cannot be used once you leave the country. You can download players before leaving or use a VPN to circumvent the geoblocking. You will need a registered device for Sky Go.
Using a VPN
A VPN or Virtual Private Network tunnels network traffic, so it looks like it came from another country. If you are in the US and want to watch the BBC, a VPN will typically be your answer. This is assuming, of course, that whatever provider you go with operates servers in the United Kingdom. Though these days, VPNs that don’t do so are few and far between.
This entire process works in reverse too. You can tunnel back to the UK while abroad to watch local streaming services. Your browsing will be safe because your VPN will protect your data.
NordVPN is an excellent choice for VPN because it supports Android, iOS, OC, and Mac. It also works with all of the streaming services in the UK. You have a money back guarantee for thirty days so if you are not happy with the service you can cancel your account for a refund.
Windows and MacOS With NordVPN
Once your account is registered, download and install the client on your computer. There will be a prompt to install a driver to get the service to work. Then use your account details to log in, pick the country you will be connecting to like the UK, and your connection will be established through the tunnel. You can access open content by opening a streaming service based in the UK.
iOS or Android With NordVPN
A separate VPN app will need to be installed. Look in the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store for the NordVPN. Follow the instructions and use the help section if necessary. Now you can easily connect to the UK services.
The CyberGhost VPN
This service will not always work and is a bit slow, but the VPN is free. If you have a PC or Mac, the free CyberGhost VPN software will make it look like your computer is in the United Kingdom and solve the pesky problem of geoblocking. The issue is the free software is slower than the premium version. This means it takes time to connect.
If you watch TV a lot, consider paying for the premium version. It is hands down the best BBC iPlayer VPN you can get. First, download, install and run the CyberGhost software. You can close the pop-up offering an upgrade. Click the large yellow button when the software starts to connect automatically to the VPN. You should not need more than a few minutes to connect.
Your computer will automatically be placed in a country. Choose America, find the menu under Simulated Country, choose the UK, click OK and on the next screen click Reconnect. CyberGhost will locate a slot and connect. The map will update, and you will be in the UK.
Smartphone and Tablet VPNs
VPN’s including CyberGhost can make your mobile believe it is in a different country. The version for Android is free, but there is an annual subscription for iOS. Tunnelbear is free for iPad and iPhone if you use under 500MB of data each month. If you have an Android, install the app and spoof your IP address. For iOS, choose the relevant name from the list. Tap on the country you want to spoof, turn on the VPN and start streaming.
Using Yovo on All Your Devices
Last but certainly not least, one of the best ways to watch UK television from abroad is to use Yovo. Our service will be online shortly and once it is, will perhaps be the most effective way of accessing British content online. While we can’t, unfortunately, tell you more just yet (we do like to keep an element of surprise), you’ll have to take our word that you’ve never seen UK online television watching made as easy and problem free as Yovo will make it.