Posted by Rod in BBC iPlayer

Watch BBC iPlayer Abroad

If you are a UK citizen, then you are most likely familiar with the BBC iPlayer, which is an Internet service that streams content from UK television and radio. Some of the most often requested shows are Doctor Who, Torchwood, and Crimewatch to name a few. This great service lets you tune for free to the all the programs that played in the week prior. But the bad thing is that you can’t watch BBC iPlayer abroad.

BBC iPlayer was developed in 2007 and was later upgraded in 2008, and in 2010 they added a way for fans to make recommendations on their programming, as well as giving iPlayer a makeover. However, even though many of the recommendations they received suggested that an international version be created, is was only recently that they announced that there was a possibility of opening up to some countries in Europe

As of February of 2011, iPlayer added links to televison programming on several UK channels such as ITV 1-4, Channel 4 and 5, E4, Film 4, More 4 and 5USA. The links send viewers to that broadcaster’s services, including Demand 5 and 4OD. However, even with all these great improvements, you still can’t watch BBC iPlayer in The USA or outside these ‘select’ European countries.

VPNs Change The Rules

So, with all this great potential for viewing, if you want to catch up on episodes of Misfits or see the latest news programs on Channel 4, you will need a different strategy to watch BBC iPlayer abroad. And that strategy begins with a virtual private network or VPN. A VPN is like a tunnel between your overseas location and a set of servers located in the UK. A VPN service provider owns servers in the UK or some other countries, and if you get a subscription to it, you too can access the UK server, get a UK IP address, and watch BBC iPlayer abroad.

A VPN server is also a way to be more secure when Internet surfing via a public WiFi signal since it encrypts your data while it sends it through its servers. This will help to keep your surfing anonymous and prevent things like identity theft while you access that latest episode of you favorite shows as you watch BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.

All you have to do is choose the company of your choice that provides VPNs and you can find these right here! Prices run from about $6 to $30, depending on the level of service.

Top 3 VPN services for watching BBC iPlayer abroad