Last Updated on December 19, 2023

Streaming British TV in the US

All the UK major TV stations broadcast online, however none of these are accessible when you’re outside the UK. Instead you’ll either get blocked or like the BBC you’ll get redirected to an ‘International’ version which has no video or live streams available.

Here’s the screen of the BBC International version:

You’ll notice several differences from the domestic BBC screen:

• Redirected to BBC.COM
• Different Design
• No TV Link
• No BBC iPlayer Link

It’s designed for a different audience, that is anyone connecting from outside the UK.  It’s still a great news site but unfortunately it’s missing the core of the BBC content i.e. all the Live TV, Radio and archived shows.  You can’t watch the BBC stations live and also the stuff that has already been broadcast is missing too.

The BBC site determines your location based on a single piece of information – your IP address.  Every address is registered to a specific country and effectively determines where you are connecting from.  So a UK based IP address would get the full BBC site with access to all the programmes whilst any other address is redirected to the international version.

How to Stream UK TV From the USA

Fortunately there is a workaround and it involves using a piece of software which can effectively hide your real location from anyone.  It’s called a VPN (Virtual Private Network) and it gives you complete control over what you can access online – you can even watch the BBC from Australia without an issue.

This video shows how you can use one of these. Using a simple secure method for hiding your real location and keeping your connection details private. It’s a trick used by millions and you can see the VPN in action here controlling the location each web site sees when connecting. Using the program demonstrated effectively opens up all the UK Television stations online irrespective of your location.

British TV Channels in USA

So yes you can stream UK TV stations abroad directly to your computer whilst on holiday, travelling or simply because you prefer British TV stations to the local versions wherever you happen to be.  It also works on most other devices although you’ll have to set it up before hand, definitely worth a few minutes though if you want to watch UK TV abroad on iPad or smartphones too.

You may have heard rumors about this method not working any more, however that’s slightly misleading.  It’s true that the BBC in particular have tried to block these these VPN workarounds, with some success. However this mainly refers to the basic TV watching software which are easy targets.

Can I Watch UK TV Abroad?

Proper security programs like Nord VPN have always worked perfectly with accessing all the main UK TV channels as they have a legitimate purpose plus don’t overload their servers to increase profits. Remember VPN programs are used extensively and legitimately by people to secure their connections while using the internet. Unfortunately many services took the fast route to profits and where actually little more than a watch UK TV abroad application Which is whey they were so easy to detect and either block or put out of business.

You’ll notice that most of the best VPN services will barely mention the fact that you can access global TV stations while using it.  Which is why they are mostly all still working.

It’s best to try for yourself though

Watch the BBC with Nord VPN