By Eva Williams 13 days ago, Apps and Software
Fans of British shows and series are wondering how to watch British TV in USA. Almost all British TV stations stop broadcasting outside the UK and block access outside their home market. Thus, people traveling to the United States face a problem if they are interested in watching British TV in USA even with valid British subscriptions.
But there is no reason to worry as you can watch British TV in USA in several ways:
The television industry in the United Kingdom, being one of the most productive and respected, has been producing excellent series, shows and films since 1936. Content produced in the UK is appreciated by viewers around the world.
Most UK-based networks offer their channels through their own streaming services and online platforms. The BBC makes the content available with the BBC iPlayer, public television network PBS – via PBC Video Portal, ITV channel group – via ITV Hub. These services restrict access to content for users whose devices have an IP address outside of the UK. GB’s TV content is licensed only for its territory.
The viewers outside of it are greeted with a message that the content they are trying to access is unavailable due to rights issues.
Previously, a proxy server was used for this case, which can be detected by all sites. Now it is a VPN server without detection. The VPN service hides the device’s location, ensuring network security. All views, when the VPN is enabled, are routed through its server.
If you select a UK server from the list, the BBC will assume that you are in the UK and the entire site will be available.
To watch Sky UK and other UK channels, use the specifically configured UK servers of the best VPNs for streaming. These are high-speed servers in the UK with unlimited bandwidth and special features.
NordVPN automatically routes traffic with geo-blocks through the best server. ExpressVPN broadcasts on non-VPN-enabled devices. CyberGhost serves optimized servers for streaming. For streaming UK TV in USA, you need to:
STEP 1. Download and install the selected VPN with British servers.
STEP 2. Enable VPN and connect to an optimized server in the UK.
STEP 3. Visit the ITV Hub or another UK channel online via their official site or streaming service. Register an account to create an interface, remember your favorite shows and record where you are in the box set. Enter your details, email address/password and UK postal code (optional) – find it online, pick any location in the UK or hotel address.
STEP 4. Choose whether you want the company to send you an email and agree to the terms of use. When asked if you have a valid TV license, you need to answer “Yes” (often this aspect depends on the conscience of viewers).
STEP 5. Pick any show from the available selection and, if necessary, any available series. Click PLAY to start viewing.
Now you can watch your favorite British shows online outside of GB. Channels that are free in the UK also offer their programs online for free, but they require registration. They all ask for basic information, but ITV Hub requires a zip code, and All 4 requires a full address. Paid channels like Sky only offer their content for free to customers who already have a subscription.
While there are plenty of British TV channels on more general streaming services, most will eventually subscribe to one or more services that specialize in British television. There are a few core services that really stand out:
Acorn TV – the subscription video-on-demand service (SVOD). It has a solid menu of quality British programs. There are programs from Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and continental Europe, as well as some exclusives and a small number of custom projects. Acorn TV tends to broadcast a little bit of everything, with definitely more focus on mystery and drama.
BritBox is jointly owned by the largest forces of British television, the BBC and the ITV channel. It gives access to a large amount of content that can’t be accessed in any other (legal) way. BritBox offers next-day viewing of major British soap operas. It also has a number of panel shows and live events.
Masterpiece existed as part of PBS before all the British programs. For more than 45 years, it was home to Masterpiece Theater, then Masterpiece Mystery and others.
You can watch PBS via the Amazon channel on your Smart TV, Roku, Fire Stick and others devices. Alternatively, you can install it as an app and make a monthly donation to get a PBS Passport and stream some additional programs. PBS Masterpiece is full of historical series – there is a subsection of international historical dramas.
Amazon Prime Video has increased the number of acquisitions and production of UK programming for its Prime Original series in addition to exclusive deals with distributors. Since streaming is called exclusive content, Amazon has conveniently assembled these original channels by offering a Prime Video membership for $12.99 per month with access to Prime benefits (2 times cheaper for the student version or for customers with a valid EBT or MedicAid card).
As streaming technology becomes more popular and companies seek to get better content to attract new subscribers, there has been a rise in British content on premium cable channels. If you have an Amazon Prime membership, you are missing out on a great source of entertainment channels with British content: about a couple of hundred British TV shows, not including many unusual documentaries or weird little web shows.
Previously, these were shows co-produced by the UK and the US, which were broadcast only on PBS and independent state-owned TV channels, BBC America, as well as on several major and premium cable channels. Now everything has changed. These shows are being broadcast for the first time on premium cable channels like HBO and continue to bring some of the best British co-productions to the US.
Sundance Now is probably the best of all the major cable channels involved in British programming. But don’t expect to find a huge number of titles here.
Cinemax, recommended by Amazon, has acquired the rights to broadcast several high-profile series and shows in the States, so it is worth watching from time to time. Starz and Showtime may not be a regular source of British television, but they have several good British series available.
Thankfully, you no longer have to call your cable company and view endless offers for additional sales and retention to add or remove channels. If you subscribe to any of them through Amazon, you can try them for free (contrary to the cable TV, no tax is charged), quickly and easily add or remove them online at any time, without having to explain the reasons.
If you are new to British television, you probably don’t need any special services. There is a ton of great British TV content available on the major streaming services that you probably already have. You can find a couple of hundred British TV shows and movies on Netflix.
Hulu is known as a replacement for traditional television. That’s why viewers are often surprised to find a large collection of TV shows from the UK and Canada, with Hulu Original series and exclusive premieres not available on other subscriptions.
Tubi is free and you can legally watch British TV online (content is uploaded by the creator, not illegal copies). It has several British TV programs along with many others.
Pluto TV is free-to-air Internet TV platform. It has signed a deal with ABC Studios for almost 1,000 episodes of classic British TV series. Most of them will come from dedicated channels.
BBC America and more than 300 local PBS member stations broadcast British programs (provided by PBS) in the United States. Many of them, as well as independent public TV stations, broadcast British TV shows, buying them on their own thanks to the donations from viewers. Shows vary from market to station. But an array of world-famous British TV hits and British TV shows premieres in the US exclusively on selected state-owned TV channels.
WETA is the public television station that serves the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan viewing area. It is the only public television station in the United States with a digital channel dedicated to TV channels from the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth territories.
BBC iPlayer is completely free to use. To get started, you have to create an account – the process is quick and easy. Note that you will need to specify your postal code during registration and confirm that you have a British TV license before you start streaming.
If you rely on the auto-connect feature, you can detect blocked servers that were identified earlier. Servers that don’t work automatically are intended for cable TV providers, requesting a client number for them. Contact the technical support of the VPN service. It monitors the operation of servers and adds new IP addresses if necessary.
It often happens due to the fact that your browser has saved geographical data for the United States or other countries. You can fix this by clearing cookie files and browser cache as it is described in the guide on how to encrypt Internet connection. Then refresh the page.
It may. If you are traveling with geolocation enabled and trying to watch live UK TV in USA via a VPN on the smartphone or other portable devices, GPS may give away your location. You can fix this by clicking on Settings, then navigating to Permissions. There you should disable Location.
