Last Updated on March 9, 2024

BBC iPlayer USA

Have you noticed that many of the world’s best media sites are restricted based on your physical location?   For instance, ever tried to watch the BBC iPlayer, Canadian TV or ITV in the USA? Or perhaps some US TV stations or streaming services like Hulu or Australian TV channels from Europe?   Well, you’ll get blocked, wherever you are determines what you can view online.

How to Watch British TV in USA Including BBC iPlayer Live

I noticed this after moving to North Carolina for a few months with work, it was great I could watch Hulu and Pandora online in the USA.  However, my favourite UK TV channels were not available outside the UK and there was no BBC iPlayer USA apart from some cut down global version which was quite expensive.

Anyway, I spent a few weeks testing various solutions and came up with what I think is the fastest, safest and most economical way of how to watch BBC iPlayer in USA and indeed any online media anywhere in the world. My priority was to watch the BBC live outside the UK, but it works for pretty much any location restricted channel anywhere in the world.

Here’s a video called How to Access BBC iPlayer in the USA – of it in action.

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On the computer it’s just a matter of selecting the right country, so to get BBC iPlayer in USA then just select a UK server. In fact, where you actually are is irrelevant, so you can also use it to watch US media sites by selecting a US server too.  Don’t just use it for BBC catch up TV there’s a whole world of online entertainment available in countries all over the world.  Put it on your other devices too, there are versions for smartphones and tablets which you can install too.

Important

However, although Nord VPN has hundreds of UK servers, some of them are optimized to watch the BBC and UK Television stations.  So, if you want to watch BBC online outside of the UK for example then it’s best to ignore the auto connect feature and pick one directly.  If you select one of these then you’re much less likely to get blocked – currently these are the best –# 1840-1847, 1850-1863, 1865, 1869, 1873, 1875-1878, 1880-1881, 1900-1901, 1903-1904, 1911, 1913, 1917, 1919-1920.  Simply type one of these numbers in the Nord VPN search bar and you should be fine.  You can add the ones that work best to your favourites, to select next time.

Watch BBC Online and TV from Any Country

The technology that companies like the BBC iPlayer and Hulu use, works by looking up your IP address when you connect. If you’re in the right country, then no problem otherwise you’ll be blocked. So, for example, here’s some of the other great streaming service sites you can access with a VPN/proxy server –

  • Hulu – Only US Address
  • BBC iPlayer – Only UK Address
  • Pandora – Only US Address
  • RTE – Irish Address
  • M6 Replay – French Address
  • ABC – US Address (or Australian for their ABC)
  • CTV – Canada Address

Crazy isn’t it; huge national broadcasters upload all their broadcasts to a global medium like the internet then block everyone who can’t already watch it on their TV sets!  It’s a shame as there’s some amazing shows available when you can watch both on BBC live stream and via the iPlayer archive.

The software demonstrated gives you complete control of your IP address. It allows you to switch it at will, from US to UK then Canadian, French or German at the click of a button. Meanwhile it completely encrypts your connection and gives you total privacy and security which is a must if you travel a lot and use insecure Wi-Fi connections.

You’ll never be blocked based on your location ever again, stream BBC One or watch whatever you like online.   You can even use it on your mobile devices like iPads, Tablets and smartphones. Select a British identity for watching BBC iPlayer USA, ITV Player live or Channel 4 then for example switch to a Canadian one to access CTV.   You will never be restricted and what’s more your identity is completely hidden when you watch BBC iPlayer live or from the archive.  You can access all the stations everything from BBC One, BBC Two, BBC News plus all the other channels plus all the radio shows too. Don’t just use it to stream BBC though, there’s lots more online channels which are available completely free of charge if you have a decent VPN.

*** The BBC introduced a User Account system way back in 2017 – don’t worry just create your account when connected to the UK server, you’ll just need to select a valid UK postal code for the account. They’ll ask if you have a UK TV license but there’s no check. ****

NordVPN does all this and more, giving you peace of mind and security for your internet connection and access to all the world’s online broadcasting applications. So, if you want to watch BBC iPlayer in America, this is one option you can use. The software demonstrated is for the PC but there are versions for all your other devices too at no extra charge which you can also use to unblock BBC iPlayer on too.

There’s also a version that works on a Mac too plus all the different apps for your phone and tablets.  Just check out the link below, this is also the lowest priced VPN service, and you can use it on all your devices under one subscription.

Nord VPN has versions for all your devices and is a great option to watch BBC iPlayer Abroad and how to watch Channel 4 in the US too..

Nord VPN Deal of the month.

Remember Nord has hundreds of servers available, if you want to watch British TV from outside UK – don’t use the auto connect feature as they can get too crowded.  Check this post for the servers that are optimized for accessing BBC iPlayer, ITV and the UK TV channels.