If you want to watch British TV then you’ll need a VPN to do so. In this article I’m taking a look at 5 different providers who are all suitable for the task comparing their various options to help you make a purchasing decision.
If you’re outside the UK and you want to watch British TV then you’ll know a VPN service is needed to do this. Whether you’re a British expat, travelling outside of Britain or you just enjoy watching British TV shows this guide will help you get set up so you can enjoy British TV from anywhere in the world.
Choosing a VPN service for British TV is not an easy task. Although most providers cost around the same, not all are fast enough to stream video and some are blocked from viewing TV services like BBC iPlayer or Sky Go.
So let’s take a look at 5 of the Best VPN for British TV services.
Best VPN for British TV
| RANK | PROVIDER | PRICE | COUNTRY LOCATIONS | UK SERVER LOCATIONS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | $6.49 /mo | 61 | 5 | VISIT |
| 2 |  | $8.32 /mo | 78 | 5 | VISIT |
| 3 |  | $8.32 /mo | 48 | 2 | VISIT |
| 4 |  | $5.83 /mo | 21 | 7 | VISIT |
| 5 |  | $4.80 /mo | 20 | 3 | VISIT |
1. IPVanish
The number 1 VPN provider for British TV is IPVanish.
The reason IPVanish are so good for British TV is because they have 6 different VPN locations across the country in Belfast, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Nottingham.
This means if a service such as BBC iPlayer blocks access to one location you can easily change to another and continue accessing. This is not the case for all VPN providers.
IPVanish will allow you to access BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, Channel 4, Channel 5, BT Sport, Now TV, Virgin Media and a whole host of other British TV services from anywhere in the world.
Software is available for Windows PC and Mac and apps for Android and iOS allowing you to access the different TV services both on your desktop or laptop as well as your mobile or tablet device.
5 concurrent connections are allowed meaning your whole family could watch on different devices from just the one account.
To check IPVanish out click the link below and if you’re unhappy with the service then you have a full 7-day money back guarantee.
Best VPN for British TV
2. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is another good option to stream British TV overseas.
Like IPVanish they have multiple British VPN servers in Berkshire, London, Chessington, Kent and Maidenhead giving you different options to connect to should one location be blocked from a specific TV service.
Software is available for PC, Mac and Linux and apps for Android and iOS so you can connect easily and quickly with minimal hassle.
ExpressVPN is suitable for watching all the UK online streaming services and in my tests I didn’t suffer any slowdown or buffering.
They’re a little more expensive than IPVanish coming in at a few dollars more per month which is why they didn’t take my top spot but if you don’t want to sign up for IPVanish then ExpressVPN certainly makes a good second choice.
To take a look at their service click the link below and if you’re unhappy you have a massive 30 days to request a refund.
3. Overplay
Overplay is my third choice VPN provider to watch British TV overseas.
Like IPVanish, Overplay is one of the fastest VPN providers I’ve tested which means buffering and stuttering is really non-existent unless you have a really poor internet connection.
One of my favourite features of Overplay for streaming TV services from the UK is that their VPN package comes with a free SmartDNS account. A SmartDNS allows you to stream TV without any slowdown.
If you live extremely far from the UK or you have a slow or unreliable internet connection then a SmartDNS will give you the best possible chance to stream without buffering. This is great news if you live in a rural location or rely on mobile internet services such as 3G and 4G.
One of the downsides is they don’t currently have any mobile apps which means you’re only able to watch on a desktop or laptop unless you’re happy to manually set up on a tablet or mobile which could be a pain if you’re a beginner.
Overplay is also more expensive than IPVanish but you do get the added bonus of the SmartDNS service so you’ll need to weigh up what your needs are. If you have reliable internet then I’d stick with IPVanish but if you have a poor internet connection then Overplay could very well be the solution for you.
Check them out by clicking the button below.
4. StrongVPN
StrongVPN is my fourth choice VPN provider for British TV.
I’m not a huge fan of the desktop software from StrongVPN which is why I didn’t rate them higher but if you can put this to one side then one area they excel at is they have a huge choice of UK servers available to connect to.
British VPN servers are available in Canterbury, London, Maidenhead, Manchester, Nottingham and Rugby making them one of the largest selections of British VPN servers available.
This is great news because it means you have plenty of choices if one location is busy or stops working you can easily change to another.
Software isn’t the easiest to use but is available for PC and Mac and thankfully the mobile apps for both Android and iOS are much better.
Another positive of the service is they’re one of the cheapest at just $5.83 a month so if you can overlook the obvious clunky software issue then you can bag yourself a bargain to watch British TV abroad.
Click the button below to visit their website.
5. VPN.ac
VPN.ac round up my selection of VPN providers for BritishTV and with this provider we have something a little different.
This provider is smaller than the rest but that doesn’t mean it is worse. VPN.ac is one of the fastest providers I’ve tested along with IPVanish and Overplay meaning you should suffer no buffering or lag when streaming British TV.
Due to them being a smaller provider it means they rarely get blocked from any of the British TV services. When other services got blocked for use with BBC iPlayer VPN.ac was one of few that continued to work without any issue.
VPN.ac is about the same price as the other services if you opt to pay monthly but where you can make some big savings is if you choose to sign up for a year. A one year account works out as just $4.80 per month which is a lot cheaper than much of the competition.
Currently software is available for Windows and Mac with an app for Android. An iOS app is expected to be released soon but it wasn’t available at the time of writing this article.
If none of the other providers suits your needs then VPN.ac is worth checking out, just click the button below to visit their site.
Conclusion: Best VPN for British TV
Hopefully this guide has given you some idea of which provider to sign up to to watch British TV abroad.
It is suitable for all purposes from expats, to if you’re on holiday or vacation or even if you’ve never stepped foot in the UK but want to watch British TV.
My number one recommendation is to sign up to IPVanish because they’re one of the fastest and most reliable providers and with a selection of British VPN servers you can ensure you’ll be able to watch British TV regardless of where you are in the world.
If for some reason you don’t want to sign up to IPVanish then the other four providers all make good choices in their own right so if you have time it’s worth taking a look at all their websites to compare them and do further research yourself. If you’re limited for time though or don’t want the hassle of reading through different websites then you can’t go wrong with IPVanish.
British Subscription Free TV Services
If you’re looking for subscription free TV services that you can access from outside Britain without needing to pay and using a VPN only then the following are some of the best.
British Subscription TV Services
If you’re a British resident and you pay for a subscription service then you can still access this while abroad when using a VPN. The same is true if you have a friend or relative in Britain with an account for the following services.
Using a VPN you can stream anywhere in the world.
Recap
| RANK | PROVIDER | PRICE | COUNTRY LOCATIONS | UK SERVER LOCATIONS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | $6.49 /mo | 61 | 5 | VISIT |
| 2 | | $8.32 /mo | 78 | 5 | VISIT |
| 3 | | $8.32 /mo | 48 | 2 | VISIT |
| 4 | | $5.83 /mo | 21 | 7 | VISIT |
| 5 | | $4.80 /mo | 20 | 3 | VISIT |
