How can I watch BBC iPlayer and ITVX outside the United Kingdom?

People from all around the world are eager to learn more about how they can watch BBC iPlayer and ITVX online. These are the streaming services of the two fantastic TV networks in the United Kingdom, producers of some of the best TV series in the world, and live broadcasters of big events such as the Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup, the European Championships in football, Super Bowl, and lots of other events. But, how can you access these streaming services if you are located outside England?

As a London Guide, our main goal is to inspire you to visit and experience the city with your own eyes. And suppose you are located in the United Kingdom. In that case, you will also surf the Internet with an IP address in the United Kingdom, giving you access to all the content on BBC iPlayer and ITVX immediately. Of course, there are some TV series on ITVX that require you to have a subscription, and to watch such content, it isn’t enough to have an IP address in London (or elsewhere in the United Kingdom). But, if you are stuck somewhere and all you can see is a message on the BBC website telling you that “BBC iPlayer only works in the UK“, then these instructions will help you fix that.

BBC only works in the United Kingdom.
BBC only works in the United Kingdom.

If you try to watch content on ITV (ITVX), you will see a message giving you very similar information.

You cannot access ITVX outside the UK.
You cannot access ITVX outside the UK.

If you have seen any of the messages above, you probably understand that you have a problem. But, what is the solution?

Solution 1: Come to London!

Book a flight and come to London. The city has fantastic attractions, great activities, magnificent hotels, and lots of delightful food waiting for you. Does that sound tempting? You can find a lot of information about all the great programs waiting for you in London here in our London Guide. But, if that sounds both complicated and expensive, use solution number two instead.

Solution 2: Use the VPN services of NordVPN.

This is a much easier solution, but unfortunately, it will only take you virtually to the United Kingdom and not in real life like we described in solution number one. What is it all about? A VPN is a tool that encrypts your information online and hides your real location. Instead, you will surf using an IP address at a location provided by the VPN provider. So, as you connect to a NordVPN server in London (or elsewhere in the United Kingdom), you will receive an English IP address, and websites, forums, streaming services, hackers, and everyone online will believe that you are in the United Kingdom. What is the consequence?

As you visit the BBC iPlayer or ITV websites, you will no longer see the error messages above. Instead, you can stream the live streams of the TV channels and watch programs on demand. Sounds cool?

If you use the link above, you will get a nice extra discount at the services of NordVPN.

Now you follow these steps!

The NordVPN website will look something like this with a special discount available if you use the link above,.

uk ip address with nordvpn

You do not need a password manager or cloud storage from VPN to stream BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel4 or other streaming services in the UK abroad, but they are very good and useful services if you need a password manager or cloud storage in addition to the VPN.

When your subscription is in order, download NordVPN to your computers, telephones, tablets, or smart TVs. You can also download NordVPN as a browser extension in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox, so it is very easy to use no matter how and where you want to use it.

When the application is installed, log in with your user credentials. Now you can connect to a server in the United Kingdom which will give you an IP address in the UK. If you want to check your IP address after you have connected to a VPN server in the United Kingdom visit https://whatismyipaddress.com/.

uk ip address
I can now see that I have an IP address in London, United Kingdom.

Now it is time to visit the website of BBC iPlayer or the ITV website. Both websites require you to register a free user to access the live streams or the programs available at the different streaming services. You must register using a ZIP code in the UK during the process. Suppose you don’t know any ZIP codes in the UK. In that case, you can use the ZIP code of any hotel or bar in London (or elsewhere), for example, HA9 0JT which is the zip code of Boxpark Wembley, a great place in London if you want to see live sports together with hundreds of others while eating and drinking and having a good time!

After you have finished registering your user, confirm your email address, and find the content that you are looking for. You can now watch both ITVX and BBC iPlayer, all across the world!