How to watch BBC iPlayer in the USA
Ask any British expat what they miss most about the U.K., and somewhere near the top of that list — high above the food, weather and public services — will almost certainly be BBC iPlayer.
The BBC isn’t without its flaws, far from it, but its entertainment offering ranks right up there with HBO. Many of the greatest shows of on BBC iPlayer are free, including “The Celebrity Traitors“.
And now that international access to BBC Sounds has been shuttered, it’s taken on even greater significance to Brits living abroad.
Although the streaming service is straightforward to use in the U.K., it’ll stop working the moment you leave the country. Read on as we explain exactly how to watch BBC iPlayer in the USA.
How to watch BBC iPlayer
To watch BBC iPlayer, you first need to register an account, which takes a matter of seconds. Since it’s a free service, there are no payment details required.
Register: enter your email address on the BBC website and create a password.
Next: Add your name, date of birth, gender and postcode (e.g. W1A 1AA).
And then… you’ll promptly receive a code over email, which you’ll use to verify your details and open your account.
You can now stream BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC Scotland, BBC ALBA, S4C, CBBC, CBeebies, BBC Parliament and BBC Radio 1 live, and get stuck into the extensive on-demand BBC iPlayer library.
How to watch BBC iPlayer in the USA
Although BBC iPlayer is geo-locked to the U.K., British residents visiting the U.S. can stream it through the use of VPN (Virtual Private Network).
The software sets your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are, which makes it ideal for sports and TV fans away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It’s the best on the market:
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we’ve said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you’re in the U.S. and want to access BBC iPlayer, you’d select U.K. from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to BBC iPlayer and watch anything you want right now.
What’s on BBC iPlayer?
BBC iPlayer is home to a sprawling library of beloved and critically acclaimed TV shows.
Prestige titles include “Peaky Blinders”, “Normal People”, “Killing Eve”, “Line of Duty”, “Wolf Hall”, “Industry”, “Luther”, “Ghosts”, “Sherlock”, “Fleabag”, “This Is Going To Hurt”, “The Tourist”, “I May Destroy You”, “What We Do in the Shadows”, “Race Across the World”, “Blue Lights”, “The Night Manager”, “The Responder” and “The Gold”.
The platform is also a treasure-trove of David Attenborough and Louis Theroux documentaries, such as “Planet Earth”, “Asia” and “Africa”, and “The Settlers”, “Weird Weekends” and “Altered States”.
The BBC isn’t above guilty pleasures, such as “Doctor Who”, “Death in Paradise” and “EastEnders”, while “Strictly Come Dancing”, “The Traitors” — including the new “Celebrity Traitors” — “The Great British Sewing Bee”, “MasterChef” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K.” will scratch your reality itch.
Although many classic titles have been farmed out to Britbox, the archive still has sone golden oldies, such as “Top Gear”, “Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em”, “Life on Mars”, “Spooks”, “The Royle Family” and “Yes Minister”.
Then there are hidden gems like “Shifty”, “Unforgivable”, “Human”, “This City is Ours”, “Inside No. 9”, “Ludwig”, “Happy Valley” and “Time”, and the quintessentially British masterpieces that are “The Office”, “The Thick of It” and all things “Alan Partridge”.
Live sport on BBC iPlayer
Although the BBC isn’t quite so hot on sports, iPlayer has a solid enough offering.
Wimbledon, the World Snooker Championship, Six Nations, Summer and Winter Olympics, World Cup, European Championships and the weekly Premier League highlights show “Match of the Day” are its flagship properties.
iPlayer also provides free-to-air live coverage of select World Cup Qualifiers and MLB, The Hundred and FA Cup games.
Why should you use a VPN to watch BBC iPlayer live?
Even if you live in the U.K., the moment you leave the country whether for work or vacation, you’ll lose access to the entire BBC iPlayer library. A VPN will give you a route back in, no matter where in the world you are.
VPNs also encrypt and anonymize your browsing data, keeping it private not only from cybercriminal and government snooping, but from your internet service provider too.
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We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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