watch bbc iplayer abroad
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Want To Watch BBC iPlayer Abroad?
It has been the goal of expats and people in other countries to watch BBC TV for many years now. Why? Well the BBC is well known for producing some of the best shows on earth, so you get quality programs with no advertising!
These days the BBC broadcast most of their programs live through their website, along with a delayed copy of the program kept for 7 days. However if you are abroad you will not be able to view these programs, unless you know how.
The reason why there is no advertising is that BBC iPlayer, like the BBC itself, is funded by the UK TV license; if you don't pay for a TV license then you legally have no right to watch BBC iPlayer abroad. The information here is offered for expats and UK travelers who have a TV license in the UK.
These days the BBC broadcast most of their programs live through their website, along with a delayed copy of the program kept for 7 days. However if you are abroad you will not be able to view these programs, unless you know how.
The reason why there is no advertising is that BBC iPlayer, like the BBC itself, is funded by the UK TV license; if you don't pay for a TV license then you legally have no right to watch BBC iPlayer abroad. The information here is offered for expats and UK travelers who have a TV license in the UK.
Summary - For Those in a Hurry!
If you dont want to read the rest of this lense, which covers things in more detail, what you need to watch BBC iPlayer abroad is either a UK proxy or VPN service.
You best option is to use Identity Cloaker as for less than 7 euros a month it offers BOTH VPN and Proxy services, and as an added bonus you can view US TV abroad with this too.
Why iPlayer Does Not Work Abroad
You have probably already tried to watch BBC iPlayer abroad if you are reading this, and you have seen that annoying screen telling you "Currently BBC iPlayer TV programs are available to play in the UK only..." How annoying!
What the BBC site is doing is checking the location of your computer through its IP address. Every device connected to the Internet has an IP address given to it, this address has a physical location attached to it. So if you are in the USA the IP address you have right now will be telling everybody you are in the US.
All you need to do is fool the system in to thinking you are in the UK; you need a UK IP address.
Luckily this is easier to get than it might sound.
The two main methods are with a proxy server, where all your traffic is essentially filtered and sent via another computer OR with a Virtual Private Network, which goes a step further and essentially replaces your local ISP with a different connection.
There is no reason to know anything about either, they can both be used to watch BBC iPlayer abroad, and VPNs have the slight advantage in that they allow you to download shows from BBC iPlayer as well as watching them live.
What the BBC site is doing is checking the location of your computer through its IP address. Every device connected to the Internet has an IP address given to it, this address has a physical location attached to it. So if you are in the USA the IP address you have right now will be telling everybody you are in the US.
All you need to do is fool the system in to thinking you are in the UK; you need a UK IP address.
Luckily this is easier to get than it might sound.
The two main methods are with a proxy server, where all your traffic is essentially filtered and sent via another computer OR with a Virtual Private Network, which goes a step further and essentially replaces your local ISP with a different connection.
There is no reason to know anything about either, they can both be used to watch BBC iPlayer abroad, and VPNs have the slight advantage in that they allow you to download shows from BBC iPlayer as well as watching them live.
Identity Cloaker VPN and Proxy
The Best of Both Worlds
There is a bit of software called Identity Cloaker that offers BOTH VPN and Proxy service for less than 7 euros a month. There are free options they are generally unreliable and so only worthwhile if you can't afford the small fee.
Identity Cloaker was not designed with watching TV in mind; they don't even mention this use on their site. It was designed to hide your presence online from people checking up on you, As such it does EXACTLY what we need to watch BBC iPlayer abroad, and it hides our identity and makes it look like we are in the UK!
The software offers both VPN and Proxy services; the proxy option is great as it's quick and easy to use while VPN, which is still easy, allows you to download programs as well.
The program is really easy to use, you don't even need to install it as it will run off of a USB flash drive if you like.
They offer a 10 day trial, so you can check it out for yourself. I have only found a few ISPs in the world who were too slow for it to work, in which case you will have NO options to watch BBC iPlayer abroad. The free trial is of no use to you as it does not let you test the TV element, it is too restricted.
I highly recomend you take a look.
Identity Cloaker was not designed with watching TV in mind; they don't even mention this use on their site. It was designed to hide your presence online from people checking up on you, As such it does EXACTLY what we need to watch BBC iPlayer abroad, and it hides our identity and makes it look like we are in the UK!
The software offers both VPN and Proxy services; the proxy option is great as it's quick and easy to use while VPN, which is still easy, allows you to download programs as well.
The program is really easy to use, you don't even need to install it as it will run off of a USB flash drive if you like.
They offer a 10 day trial, so you can check it out for yourself. I have only found a few ISPs in the world who were too slow for it to work, in which case you will have NO options to watch BBC iPlayer abroad. The free trial is of no use to you as it does not let you test the TV element, it is too restricted.
I highly recomend you take a look.
by PBman4U
PBman4U
An Expat for over 8 years I was often asked about how to get UK TV abroad. Over the years I worked out just about all the options.
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