At a Glance
BBC iPlayer is a source for some of the best TV shows, sporting events and movies online, but if you’re traveling or living outside of the United Kingdom and attempt to view your favorite shows or films, you’re greeted with the following message:
“BBC iPlayer only works in the U.K. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues” or you’ll see “This content is not available in your location” or “This content doesn’t seem to be working.”
I Have a VPN!
However, you are not deterred as you are a Pixel Privacy reader and are aware of the no-so-secret weapon that allows you to regain access to BBC iPlayer content, a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
So, you load your VPN provider’s app, connect to a VPN server located inside of the U.K. and once again visit the BBC iPlayer network, click “play” on your favorite show, and you still see:
“BBC iPlayer only works in the U.K. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues” or you’ll see “This content is not available in your location” or “This content doesn’t seem to be working.”
Cheeky blokes! It worked yesterday!
More and more these days, VPN users are finding that their VPN provider no longer reliably unblocks geo-blocked content, such as BBC iPlayer, Netflix and numerous others.
Once upon a time, there were several VPNs that could unblock BBC iPlayer and the like.
Now, as streaming services have become hip to the VPN trick, they’ve begun blocking IP addresses that VPN services supply. This means that the number of VPN providers that can reliably unblock BBC iPlayer has dwindled to a small number of select providers.
So, if your VPN can no longer evade BBC iPlayer blockades, what are your options?
Why BBC iPlayer Blocks a VPN Provider
The BBC iPlayer error message I mentioned above provides an excellent answer as to why BBC iPlayer and other streaming services restrict their content to being viewed by online users with an IP address located from inside of the U.K. “It’s due to rights issues.”
The BBC signs agreements with movie and television studios (the companies that supply the content you view) that require them to restrict access to the materials to viewers inside the United Kingdom.
Sadly, this means that the content you love to binge while you’re in the U.K. is not available to you if you visit France, the United States or some other foreign land.
This is because BBC iPlayer checks the IP address your connected device was assigned when it connected to the internet.
If the IP address shows up as being a U.K. IP address (each country is assigned a range of IP addresses for its devices to use), they then check to see if the IP address is a known address that a VPN provider uses.
If it is a VPN IP address, access to BBC iPlayer content is then blocked, and you see the message I mentioned above.
While some VPNs have the resources to quickly create new IP addresses for their subscribers to use, restoring access to BBC iPlayer, many VPNs don’t have the resources to keep up and have given up on providing access to BBC iPlayer and other streaming sites.
The Best Alternative When Your VPN Fails
When a VPN user connects a device to a VPN provider’s servers, they (along with a large number of other users) are temporarily assigned a fresh IP address, which makes it appear to the rest of the internet that they are located in the same country as the VPN server.
So, if you connect to a VPN server located in the United Kingdom, you’ll appear to be located in the U.K., even though your actual current physical location is in New York City in the U.S.
When multiple users are connected to a single VPN server, all of those users will show the same IP address to the rest of the internet. While this is a plus when it comes to anonymity, it can cause issues if many of those users are all trying to view BBC iPlayer content.
When BBC iPlayer sees multiple users coming in from the same IP address, this raises a red flag.
If BBC iPlayer’s IT folks do a bit of investigating and determine that the IP address in question belongs to a VPN provider, they’ll likely block that IP address from accessing their content, meaning everyone on that server will be blocked from their favorite shows and movies.
When this happens, users may contact the VPN provider’s customer support agents and complain that they can no longer view their favorite BBC iPlayer content.
Hopefully, the VPN provider will investigate the issue and set up a fresh set of IP addresses to restore access to the BBC.
Then, The BBC folks discover the new IP addresses, and the game of virtual whack-a-mole begins again.
As I mentioned previously, many VPN providers have forfeited the game to BBC iPlayer and no longer claim to offer access to geo-blocked content from the U.K. streaming service.
Luckily, not all VPNs have given up and are still willing to compete. In the next section, I’ll tell you about the best of these providers.
Best Blocked-BBC iPlayer Workaround
NordVPN
NordVPN offers what is the most reliable access to BBC iPlayer, as well as access to numerous other geo-controlled streaming sites. The VPN service provider continues to prove itself, no matter where you’re currently located.
The provider continues to create new IP addresses whenever its current IP addresses are blocked by BBC iPlayer and its competitors.
While you may occasionally run into a NordVPN IP address that has been blocked, disconnecting and reconnecting to a different server location will usually restore access. (You may also need to clear your browser cookies and cache if you’re viewing in a browser.)
The provider also offers extensive app support for popular desktop and mobile devices, top-notch global server coverage, 24/7 live support chat and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Connection Speed
Once you’ve connected to BBC iPlayer, you’re not going to enjoy the viewing experience if you’re required to wait an extended period of time for your favorite show to buffer and begin playing. It’s also going to be frustrating if your connection speeds aren’t up to providing a high-quality stream.
NordVPN provides some of the fastest speeds for streaming in the VPN industry and (depending on your usual, ISP-provided download speeds) delivers more than enough bandwidth for quickly streaming HD and 4K content.
The provider offers unlimited bandwidth and never imposes any data caps.
Multi-Platform Support
No matter the connected device, whether you enjoy video on your computer, mobile device, game console or other streaming device, BBC iPlayer is available in some manner for that device.
NordVPN offers native app support for the Android, Windows, macOS (With native Apple Silicon support), Chromebook, iOS, Android TV, Amazon Fire and Linux device platforms. Browser extensions are available for the Chrome, Edge and Firefox platforms.
Users can simultaneously connect up to 6 devices to NordVPN users on a single account. They can also take advantage of the provider’s compatibility with numerous router makes and models to protect and enhance all of their connected devices via their WiFi network. You can purchase pre-configured routers from FlashRouters.com.
Pricing
NordVPN isn’t the low-price leader in the VPN industry. However, its extended subscription options are priced quite nicely when you consider the services that the provider offers.
If you opt to pay monthly, you’ll see approximately the amount of a large combo meal from your favorite hamburger joint charged to your credit card each month. A 1-year or a 2-year subscription plan will cost you a monthly fee of somewhere around a small value combo meal or a kid’s 6-piece nuggets meal, respectively.
A 30-day money-back guarantee provides more than enough time to try the provider and make sure it’s the right one for you.
For more information, visit the NordVPN website.
Customer Support
Here’s hoping you never have any serious technical issues that prevent you from accessing your favorite content on the internet. However, it’s not a perfect world, and stuff happens. This means there may come a day when you’ll need to access NordVPN’s extensive customer support offerings.
NordVPN makes around-the-clock support available thanks to its 24/7 online support chat, email support and an easy-to-search support library.
When I have contacted NordVPN support techs with a question or issue, I’ve always received prompt and well-informed replies. When I’ve ventured to find an answer on my own, the NordVPN support library proved to be an excellent source of information.
Global Server Coverage
Arguably, one of the most popular uses for a VPN is to access geo-blocked content located in other regions of the globe.
NordVPN performs well in this category thanks to its 5,600+ servers stationed in 60 countries worldwide.
In my experience, the NordVPN server network provides reliable access to BBC iPlayer, Netflix and numerous other streaming sites.
Security & Privacy Protections
NordVPN’s online security protection uses government-grade 256-bit AES encryption, an automatic kill switch and IP/DNS leak protection to keep your online activities undercover.
Users can also take advantage of ad and malware blocking features, as well as a “Double VPN” feature that routes your internet connection through a duo of VPN servers for added encryption.
The provider’s protections provide reliable and comprehensive online privacy. The provider is based in privacy-friendly Panama, keeping absolutely no logs of their customers’ online activities.
The provider also offers a Bitcoin subscription payment option, ensuring that your payment privacy is also protected.
Privacy buffs will also appreciate two additional privacy protections offered by NordVPN. The provider’s owned-and-operated servers keep third-party contractors away from your personal information. The provider also runs all of its servers 100% from RAM, with no data ever being written to a physical hard drive. This ensures that all data is securely wiped when a server is rebooted or shutdown.
The Top VPN for Netflix
NordVPN is my pick for the best VPN to unblock access to BBC iPlayer and other major streaming services, when you’re traveling or living outside of the United Kingdom. The provider consistently offers reliable unblocking of BBC iPlayer, reacting quickly whenever BBC iPlayer blocks any of their IP addresses.
The provider offers super-fast VPN connection speeds, comprehensive global server coverage, excellent customer support, and top-notch online security and privacy protections.
The few times I’ve experienced issues in connecting to BBC iPlayer, I’ve been able to connect to a different U.K.-based server and regain access to the streaming server. That has usually been true, no matter which streaming service I am attempting to view.
Visit NordVPN for more information or to purchase a subscription.
