Struggling to watch UK TV from outside the UK? You aren’t alone! Fear not, because there is a way around these annoying error screens that keep popping up. Grab ahold of a VPN and fool the system into thinking you are actually in the UK – get access to British TV streaming now! We reviewed the top VPN providers to present you with a list of those that work best at specifically unblocking UK TV and show you just how to watch UK TV Abroad.
Our recommended VPN to Watch UK TV Abroad is Express VPN.
The UK has some great TV shows. However, watching these outside of the country can be difficult. Often foreign TV channels won’t show British programmes until well after they have been on TV in the UK.
If you do want to watch streaming services such as the BBC iPlayer, 4OD or even the British version of Netflix then you can do this by using a VPN. This lets you choose a server in the UK that will provide you with a British based IP address.
A VPN will not only let you watch UK shows but will also boost your privacy so that no-one can snoop on your activity online. To watch UK TV abroad, get ExpressVPN.
How to Watch UK TV Abroad with a VPN
When signing up for a VPN, you’ll be given a choice of many servers from all around the world. If you want to stream a channel online that is geo-restricted to viewers in the UK, then you simply need to choose a server located in Britain itself to gain access to UK TV live streaming or streaming in general.
By connecting to a British server you’ll be assigned a UK IP address, which will grant you immediate access to watch UK TV abroad. You are essentially making the system believe that your physical location is within the UK (despite being in another country).
The usual display screen that you are probably more than used to when attempting to watch UK TV abroad will no longer exist. There will be no more “this content is not available in your area”, but rather instant access, and it’s all down to a VPN.
If you’re worried that someone is snooping on your online activity, or maybe even trying to steal your personal information, you can fear not, because a VPN uses top-grade encryption levels to keep your connection totally secure and anonymous. Read on for the best UK VPN options.
Best UK VPN for 2018
If you don’t know much about VPNs, you may be thinking that they are all pretty much the same, but there is in fact a number of differences that make a VPN top quality or not. Not all VPNs are the same, and not all of them can unlock certain channels from abroad.
When looking for a good VPN specifically for watching UK TV abroad, we look for the following properties:
- Able to unblock the majority of UK TV – that is the purpose after all
- High encryption levels so that you remain anonymous online
- A fast service provider, to allow for seamless streaming
- Good customer support, for if for some reason you can’t gain access to a channel and need fast help
#1 ExpressVPN – Best VPN for UK TV Streaming in USA and around the world
ExpressVPN has many servers located in the UK so you will always be able to connect to one and be assigned a British IP address to watch UK TV.
If you are wondering how to watch UK TV abroad or even access UK TV live streaming channels, all you need to do is open up the software and choose a UK server.
ExpressVPN has the easiest software to use, especially if you are new to using a VPN or are not great with new technology.
Anyone can install ExpressVPN and be able to watch UK TV within minutes. Another great aspect of ExpressVPN is how reliable they are.
If you are watching a British TV show for example then the last thing you want is for the connection to drop or disappear altogether.
ExpressVPN ensures that your internet speed stays consistent so you can stream high quality shows without any problems.
If you ever need to contact their customer service then you can be assured that they will get back to you within minutes.
There are no long waiting times with ExpressVPN and their customer support staff are around 24/7 to assist you with anything you might need.
If you want to watch UK TV abroad and also use a VPN that has a reliable connection, many UK servers and great customer service, then the number one recommendation, ExpressVPN, is the solution for you.
#2 NordVPN – Good for watching UK TV abroad including ITV live stream
I’ve added NordVPN to give you the option of another very reliable VPN almost up there with ExpressVPN.
NordVPN is a no-log provider that uses double encrypted tunnels gives a double boost to make sure that all of your online browsing is totally secure and private.
They have a whopping 1,374 servers across 61 countries, meaning that if one server is down, it should be pretty easy to hop onto another one.
Even though there is only one server in the UK, when I tried using it I found it to be very reliable and allowed for access to the UK Netflix library, ITV, BBC iPlayer and 4OD leading me to believe that with NordVPN you can access just about any UK entertainment content from wherever you are.
The issue with having one server however, means that in peak times you may experience the odd bottleneck performance.
Priced at $11.95 per month, and $5.75/month on the one year plan it is a reasonable price for the quality of service.
There’s also a hot 30-day money-back guarantee meaning you can test it out to be sure it’s what you are looking for.
#3 SaferVPN – Highly recommended to watch UK TV abroad
With servers actually located in the UK, SaferVPN is a top choice to watch UK TV abroad. You can actually find a server and British IP address to watch UK TV, which will get the job done nicely!
When I used SaferVPN to try and stream BBC iPlayer outside UK, it streamed nicely, and, well, as if I was actually in the UK, watching a bit of telly. Their unlimited bandwidth is fantastic for these situations alone, and I really appreciated it – I discovered whole new series which I wanted to watch, and was actually able to do so, without being cut off for exceeding my bandwidth allowance.
Not that I had a reason to, but their 24/7 live chat was worked well when I contacted them for the purposes of this article.
I also liked the pricing options for SaferVPN – one month of service is $9.99. But if you want a more long-term commitment, there is a 12-month plan at $4.99/month and 24month plan at $3.49/month. All plans come with SaferVPN’s 30 day money-back guarantee.
I think this is another really solid choice for streaming UK TV abroad, and actually rivals ExpressVPN.
Get the Best UK TV Streaming Experience
Watching UK TV abroad is actually very easy if you use our top choice ExpressVPN. While many people think that they cannot watch UK TV outside Britain because of the content restrictions in place, downloading and installing ExpressVPN solves this problem.
With ExpressVPN you will be able to:
- Seamlessly stream UK television shows from Netflix, BBC iPlayer and other on-demand and live services
- Protect your privacy and personal information with encryption
- Talk to their customer service team 24/7 if anything goes wrong with the service
- Keep your fast internet speed to watch TV in high definition quality
With ExpressVPN even the most basic internet users can boost their privacy and security online and gain access to British TV streaming at its best, plus you’ll have a consistently fast internet connection from anywhere in the world!
If you want to be able to access all the services that people living in the UK do, get ExpressVPN.
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When I was in UK, I used SaferVPN and ExpressVPN and the 2 of them were working perfectly. As a matter of fact, my sister still use it in UK.
I have been using PrivateVPN to access UK shows. It has cheap subscription and the speed is good. Kinda seem like a to enjoy good tv
I have this app and it works great. The article doesn’t mention that ExpressVPN also has a kill switch, so if your VPN connection should drop, all apps are supposed to stop as well. This is important for file sharers.
We have been using a VPN service for years (viewtvabroad…I don’t recommend it), but recently also have problems with UK programs. Somehow they are detecting a foreign address despite the VPN. I really would like to solve this as we prefer channel 4’s Formula One coverage. I don’t want to change services until I am sure it will work. I have even registered with a London address on channel4’s site, to no avail.
I have downloaded Express VPN, based on your review for watching the BBC iPlayer. I am in the USA and connecting through one of the UK servers. I can connect to the ITV iplayer, without any problems, but the BBC website immediately detects that I am out of region. I have tried the trouble shooting tips through Express VPN but none have worked, and I am awaiting contact back from them as to their suggestions. I would be grateful for your comments please, as your review is right up to date, but it seems as though the BBC have great detection technology!
Kind regards
Anne
expat in dire need of British drama!
Hi Anne,
That is a shame that is happening, unfortunately your in the hands of the ExpressVPN support at the moment. The BBC have increased their protection and it seems that it has been a challenge on all VPN’s let’s see what ExpressVPN support says and go from there