The United Kingdom offers a broad range of TV entertainment, with some of the best channels available to UK residents. BBC and ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, Sky and Freeview boast some of the most exciting content in the world. Fantastic TV series and blockbusters, shows and documentaries are all there in exceptional quality, waiting for you to enjoy.
The great thing is to reside within the boundaries of the UK and be able to watch the content of these channels (along with many others, of course). Even in Europe, there is the option of getting a decent signal from your satellite dish. In this way, although you are not technically a resident of the UK, you are part of the wider family of Europe.
Unfortunately, the channels from the UK are not available for viewing universally. This is an absolute shame since the diversity and quality provided is difficulty matched. So, if you are a resident of India, for example, or Egypt, Australia, United States or New Zealand, you cannot keep your hopes up for enjoying the same content via British channels overseas. Apparently, copyright restrictions apply to most of the countries, and this is what makes the UK TV channels so wonderfully precious. Combining great content that meets the criteria of the vast majority of viewers adds to the overall value of UK TV on demand.
It is devastating to keep in mind that British citizens or residents may find themselves deprived of their TV privileges as well. When traveling abroad for business or leisure, when emigrating for job opportunities or when studying to a different part of the world, they may end up getting no signal and finding no alternative to the awesomeness of UK TV overseas. What happens then? How to watch UK TV abroad? Well, if you have started wondering if there is the way to bypass restrictions and get the quality and quantity of UK TV while overseas, check out our article!
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Live TV and Catch-up TV
If you want to watch some of the best channels of UK live and for free, go ahead with using FilmOnTV. Although you may find standards definition a bit limiting, it is uplifting that you may choose among channels like BBC One and Two, Channel 4 and Channel 5, some Free view channels and BBC News.
There is no particular requirement for you to install any software or plugin, as it directly works with the embedding of flash video. It is simple and allows you to catch up with UK TV in a jiffy. What is more, there is a mobile version that helps you get UK TV when on the go.
Catch-up TV is another option, especially for those who are about to leave the UK for a short while. In this case, you may download the content of your preference beforehand. You can do that on your BBC iPlayer outside UK or Sky Go Extra account and get ahead, having all the TV programs that you would crave for available in advance.
Free Browser Extensions
A different approach to watching UK TV abroad for free is the use of free browser extensions. They work just fine and they allow you to bypass the geographical restrictions. Hola is a popular extension that does not require any fee and at the same time works on various browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Android OS).
When you want to access a UK channel or website, you click on the Hola button, and you choose among the UK servers. They offer you a UK IP address, and therefore you get no problem connecting to the site of your preference. TunnelBear is another app that can be used on mobile devices, such as iOS and Android running phones. You can also use browser extensions of TunnelBear for Chrome and Opera.
Change DNS Settings
Another method for watching UK TV on demand and regardless of your location is the change of DNS settings. By going to the DNS settings of your own device and altering the primary and secondary Domain Name Servers, you get to overcome the restrictions. For you to find the right DNS settings, though, you need to visit a website that reveals such info. For instance, you can use Droid Kid. However, you should keep in mind the fact that these DNS options often suffer from heavy traffic and they do not guarantee that you get to use them properly.
Of course, you can also use SmartDNS service providers for changing your IP online and appear to be located in the UK. If you use a reliable SmartDNS option like StrongDNS, you can benefit from easy and instant unblocking of the desired UK TV channels that you wish to stream. StrongDNS offers the best value for money: working on all devices and OS, including SmartVPN for the cases when SmartDNS is unavailable, guaranteeing 99.9% uptime, without any logs whatsoever and with detailed setup guides to help you out.
Use VPN
Most probably the best way for you to get UK IP outside the UK is with the help of VPN. The Virtual Private Network acts as an intermediary between your device and the site you wish to visit. In this scenario, you subscribe to a VPN service provider, and you download the respective software.
You install it on your device and you connect to the web, choosing a UK based VPN server. As a result, you have got yourself a brand new, shiny IP address from the UK, and you get to access all channels from Britain! Apparently, this is not the only advantage of VPN over other methods of bypassing geographical restrictions. It also enables you to encrypt all of your data, and this is the alpha and omega of being kept safe online.
Among the multiple VPN service providers out there, has certainly got an impressive array of features. It provides you with a bunch of VPN server options, including of course the treasured UK VPN servers for you to use. There is zero logging policy, which is great for anonymity. 99.9% uptime guarantee, advanced encryption with all the security protocols on offer, simultaneous connections to a computer and a mobile device, unlimited bandwidth, speed and data transfer. What else could you ask for?
Which Option is the Best?
Even though each of the methods outlined above has got both pros and cons to consider, it is no secret that the VPN is the most complete solution that you could ever find. It allows you to change your IP address immediately, masking your digital footprint as well. It offers you the opportunity to change your IP and remain anonymous online, even if you do not have any technical knowledge on the subject. The combination of reliable services, instant feedback and absolute privacy and security enhancement makes us in a heartbeat!
Final Thoughts
All these methods that we have gathered and analyzed here today may offer you the opportunity to bypass the geographical restrictions applied to UK TV abroad. However, the core question is why there should be such limits in the first place. Some days earlier in May, the European Commission has surprised people with their initiative towards proposing a single digital market.
Content providers, such as the ones we have been trying to unblock here in our article, should offer the same content to all viewers universally. More specifically, they targeted Europe, and they wanted to express their aim to lift all the barriers among European countries, when it comes to content sharing online. This is huge news, without a doubt! So, the near future may hold significant surprises in the digital field. It remains uncertain when this day will come, with everyone enjoying the same channels and sites. Till then, we will have to make do with one of the methods displayed in our guide!