Can I Watch BBC iPlayer Abroad

Methods To watch BBC iPlayer abroad?

These days maybe the most commonly asked question of expats, but the answer is an easy YES.
For people who live outside the UK, like myself, there arrives a time when you miss home grown good old UK television. Ever since the BBC launched iPlayer there was a bit of hope out there for watching BBC iplayer abroad. However if you have tried to attach while outside the UK all you get is 'Currently BBC iPlayer television programs are available to play in the UK only...' How annoying!

So its not possible Watch BBC iPlayer abroad?
Of course it is possible, if you look on Google you will find lots of options. Many of them are either costly or just do not work. I will list them all, so you can decide for yourself, however in the end there are just a couple of true options to watch BBC iPlayer abroad. That is reliable methods which always work.

What you must Do
The BBC restricts access to its iPlayer service by checking the geographic location of the Internet Service Provider you are using to connect to the internet. If it is located in the UK you will be able to view, if it isn't then they stop you watching. It is as plane as that!

All you require to watch BBC iPlayer abroad is make it seem like you are located in the United Kingdom.

No Cost strategies to watch BBC iPlayer Abroad
If you have access to a PC back in the United Kingdom you can create a VPN tunnel back to that PC and connect to the iPlayer website thru that PC, this can cause it to look like you are in the United Kingdom.

Does It Work?
Not well to be truthful, there are a number of issues. To start with you must have a PC on in the UK all of the time, and if there is any technical issues with that computer you're going to be stuck till you get back to fix it. Second, and as importantly, while your download speed in the UK may be good you will find the upload speed is far to slow to allow consistent TV viewing.

What About Other free methods to watch BBC iPlayer abroad?
Yes you can look at TOR or Foxyproxy which both provide a free proxy service, which like a VPN makes it look like your personal computer is in the UK. Please note just about all free proxies tend to be too slow to watch BBC iPlayer abroad, they just do not have enough speed for all the free users.

The Number One Way to watch BBC iPlayer Abroad
To start with should you pick substitute or VPN methods, well the smartest thing is to have them BOTH! The program I use gives a dedicated high speed United Kingdom proxy and United Kingdom VPN option. This will allow you to both view iPlayer live and download shows to view on demand.

The program wasn't initially designed for television watching, it is just a side effect of what the software does. As such they do not even state this use on their site!

There is a ten day trial available (the free version is of no use if you would like to watch iplayer abroad as its to basic and it does not work for TV sites). After that the program costs less than seven euros a month, so it's a bargain for those of us who need to watch iPlayer abroad! Though its still worth having a look at the free options.