How to watch UK TV abroad in 4 easy steps

British television is hugely respected, not just in the UK but overseas too.

If you're keen to watch UK TV abroad, we’ve got it covered with easy step-by-step instructions.

Lots of much-loved UK TV shows are available to stream in the US - for example, Peaky Blinders is on Netflix and Love Island is on Hulu - but there's usually a delay for overseas audiences.

On top of that, there’s plenty of sports like Premier League football that non-UK viewers want to watch live (but be aware: you need a UK TV licence to watch live content, no matter where you are).

The simplest way to watch UK TV abroad is to use a VPN.

These handy online tools have boomed in popularity in recent years, and one of the biggest reasons is that they can allow users to access geo-restricted content - and that includes UK TV streaming platforms like BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub and All4.

Read on to find out how to access UK TV abroad, along with our pick of the best VPNs for the job - we’ve tried and tested all of them.

If you want to stream content that’s unavailable in the US, there’s also our pick of the best VPNs for Netflix.

Why can’t I watch UK TV abroad?

Outside of the UK, if you head to any of the nation’s major UK TV streaming platforms - whether that’s BBC’s iPlayer or Channel 4’s All 4 - you’ll be met with essentially the same message each time: this content is not available to watch in your region.

This is largely down to licensing agreements - so while plenty of UK television is free-to-air, that only applies to audiences located in the UK itself.

It's important to note that BBC content isn’t free: you need to pay an annual licence fee. We’ll go into that in more detail later in this article.

The same thing happens with streaming sites like Netflix, by the way - although it’s a service available around the world, each region has its own specific library of content.

This can prove incredibly frustrating - not least with UK viewers who might want to stay up-to-date with their favourite programmes while on holiday overseas.

How to watch UK TV abroad with a VPN

Here’s how to watch UK TV abroad in step-by-step instructions:

1. Sign up to a VPN like ExpressVPN or NordVPN, and install it on your device.
2. In that VPN’s user interface, choose a UK server.
3. Head to the website of the channel you want to watch.
4. Hit play.

Watching British TV abroad is easy with a VPN, or ‘virtual private network’.

VPNs are online tools that extend private networks across public networks, which offer extra levels of security for users.

In the case of British streaming, a VPN can essentially suggest to a platform that you’re watching from a UK IP address, meaning you won’t encounter any geo-blocking message.

For a more detailed walkthrough, head to our what is a VPN and are they legal explainer.