How to Watch ITVX Abroad Free Online
The ITV media player has improved greatly over the last few years. For some time it’s lagged behind the wonderful BBC iPlayer with regards content, an often slow and unreliable video stream plus of course it’s got advertisements. Now of course, ITV is a commercial station so it has to get funding somehow so there’s not much you can do about the adverts. It’s latest incarnation has come with a name change – ITVX and with improvements to it’s Silverlight player it’s now arguably on a par with it’s more famous public rival.
Unfortunately with the improvements have come some further restrictions on who can access – all related to watching from abroad. Like the BBC iPlayer those free proxies you could find all over the web no longer work. Same goes for many VPN services which you’ll often find blocked either completely or intermittently. It sounds like bad news for those missing their dramas like Coronation Street! But don’t worry it’s a problem that can be solved quite easily.
How to Watch ITV Abroad – ITVX Outside the UK
However there are still quiet a few VPN systems which still work perfectly for watching ITV. It’s still fairly simple, read on about how to watch ITV hub abroad (and watch free tv from other channels too).
If you want to see how these work then you can just watch this short video which demonstrates how you can get an ITV stream abroad for free anywhere in the world when using an appropriate VPN.
Nord VPN Discount Page
So Come on Watch ITV Abroad for Free – How’s it Done ?
All these blocks and filters are based on your IP address. Every web site looks up your location from this unique network address when you try and access their site. In the video above we saw a VPN service being used to unblock ITV by relaying all the data and hiding your true location. However it costs lots of money to run these – the bandwidth, support staff, servers and hosting all cost every time they are used. Which obviously makes it difficult to find a free service to access ITV Hub outside the UK because someone, somewhere will have to pay for it. The easy options used to be proxies which were accidentally left open which people could use for free instead of a VPN server.
Unfortunately there’s no safe free option available anymore, all the proxies that you used to be able to use are now blocked by all the streaming services and UK TV stations. You have to use a VPN otherwise the web site will detect your true location and you’ll get blocked. There are a few ‘free plugins’ that route through VPN servers however remember that you have to pay in some way, in fact there are two ways the free plugins finance themselves :
- Allowing the plugin to insert adverts into your browser.
- Sharing your internet connection with premium users.
To be honest I don’t advise any of these but if you are going to try one, I’d go for the advert sponsored one. If you share your bandwidth with lots of unknown users you’re asking for trouble as any site they visit will all be linked back to your IP address.
It’s really not worth the risk as you can find very inexpensive VPN apps which are perfect for watching ITV.
The Best VPNs to Use to watch ITV live abroad
The other advantage the best paid VPNs have is speed, the best ones are very fast and you won’t get any buffering or stuttering when you’re watching. Remember using the UK servers will not only allow you to watch ITV player abroad but also to watch British TV from all the UK channels.
How to Watch ITVX and All the British TV Channels Abroad
You will also have to create an account to watch the ITV Hub as it was made mandatory last year, but that’s not a problem. Just ensure your VPN software is enabled and using a UK server then follow the steps below:
- Navigate to the ITV website.
- Then you need to click ‘Sign in’ at the top of the screen.
- Next choose ‘Sign up now’ on the page that appears.
- Input the details like title, name, date of birth, email address, password, etc.
- It will probably ask for a ‘Postcode,’ just enter any valid UK postcode.
- Finally, click on the Submit button.
- Enjoy and Watch ITV live abroad
That will allow you to sign on to the ITV Hub whenever you need to use it, just remember to have your VPN connected before you do. There were some instances where ITV Hub was actually blocking people based on the Time zone that their computer was set on but they haven’t done this for a while. If the UK VPN connection doesn’t work it might be worth just changing your computer time setting to GMT to check. Normally though all you need to do is spoof IP address to watch ITV player irrespective of your location.
Enjoy the ITV Hub and Much More Outside the UK
The vast majority of the ITV programmes are broadcast and archived on the ITV Hub apart from some shows which are licensed to a third party like some movies and US TV shows. All your favourites will be there though like Coronation Street and Downton Abbey. A UK VPN does cost money but it’s pretty much essential to watch British TV online when you’re abroad. Remember not only does it unlock ITV but every online UK channel including the BBC, indeed I know one person who invests in a VPN just to watch Match of the Day from his home in Turkey. The best ones will also work on other devices other than computers too.
Our recommended VPN provider has a VPN app for all your different devices. Which means you can access ITV or BBC on things like smartphones and media streamers, you can even use them to watch UK TV abroad on iPad and other tablets. It’s the perfect UK expat VPN for those who’ve moved abroad too.
Of course, there is one other option that ITV PLC have provided and that’s to use the international version of the channel. However if you search online you’ll find some ITV essentials review posts and it’s not always that popular. Firstly the cost is more than most VPN services and of course, you can only access the ITV essentials content whereas a VPN will essentially unlock free UK TV abroad across all the channels. It might be worth investigating though for a short period if you’re only interested in ITV and no other streaming sites, best check it’s on Essentials first though!
Watch all the UK TV Channels Anywhere
There are hundreds of these VPN providers but only a handful which work with all the British channels. Always try a short subscription before committing to any service to make sure it works well for you. Also remember ITV Hub is financed by adverts so it won’t work with ad blocking running.
If you pick a decent VPN then you’ll actually open up so much more online. All the UK TV channels broadcast the majority of their broadcasting schedule live online. They will also archive most of these shows for months and years after including thousands of box sets and classic dramas.
So a quick summary from email questions I’ve received since I wrote this post !
How do I watch itv in the United States?
Just sign on to a VPN with servers in the United Kingdom and then connect before you want to watch. The process is exactly the same as any other country just use the video above. In fact it doesn’t matter where you are, as long as you have an internet connection you can watch!
How to Watch ITV Player Abroad on iPad or other devices ?
This depends on which VPN you use, a few like NordVPN have separate apps for each device. Just install the version you need from the Play or App store and connect in the same way. Most don’t have these apps but you can create the VPN connection manually easily enough – just check the help section of your chosen VPN.
How to Watch Channel 4 abroad??
Exactly the same way but obviously you use the Channel 4 website which is called All 4 and you can find it here – https://www.channel4.com/. Most of the top VPNs work fine with Channel 4 – remember to enable the UK connection before you create an account though ! The ALL 4 site has improved greatly over the last few years and there’s even a great film section where you can watch movies live and from their archive too.
Can I Watch any UK TV station online as well as any US station?
Yes you can, just connect to the right country. Switching from a UK VPN to a US one will open up all the US channels like NBC, ABC and Hulu. It’s best to close your browser and clear your cookies when switching countries as these can cause problems with some sites. If you find a good VPN like Nord you should be able to use it for anything – from the BBC News to Netflix in the US.
How to Watch Now TV abroad ?
You’ll need a valid subscription, a VPN doesn’t bypass the payment requirement. Just connect to a UK server first then navigate to the Now TV site. You can subscribe from abroad in the same way but currently need a UK based form of payment or gift card to pay.
Our suggestion, is the service I have been using for over many years now – NordVPN. However please test it out for yourself, they have a 30 day money back guarantee (which they do honour) to test and watch ITV Hub abroad and any other channels you need.
Nord VPN Latest Discounts
I think you have to have an account now to use ITV Hub, does this still work???
Yep you do, but it’s not a problem. Make sure you have a connection to one of the UK servers then create the account. It will ask you for a postcode – just use any valid UK Postcode and it will work fine.
Ok so I can watch ITV using this 🙂 Do you think it will also work for my Sky subscription? I can’t use it when I’m outside the UK and it’s quite expensive!!
Yep it works Eliana. I don’t have a Sky subscription anymore but I can use my friends account (with his permission!) using Nord VPN. I generally just use it watch the occasional Premiership match.
As long as your Sky subscription is valid you can watch it anywhere as long as you connect to a UK server first just like with ITV.
Don’t you need an account for the ITV hub? Does this cause a problem for accessing ITV from abroad?
Hi Marsi, yes you do need an account now but it’s not a problem. Simply create a normal account and use any UK postcode when it asks and you’ll be fine.
It works really well for me
Is this the best VPN all you need to unblock ITV? Can you watch Channel 4 using the same method.
Hi, yes I think it’s among the best but there are others that work to access the UK streaming service like ITV Hub.
Hi, is Coronation Street and Love Island available now on the ITV Hub ? Also do you need to create an account?
Hi yes they’ve just restarted filming Coronation street and it is available to watch online. Yes you need to create an account on ITV Hub but it’s easy to do just make sure you’re using a VPN if you’re outside the UK.