How to Watch BBC iPlayer in Netherlands

It can be quite tough being British in some of these European countries.  Firstly, there’s Brexit, which was never going to increase our overall popularity despite the fact that most of us who travel outside the country probably voted against it anyway.  Secondly, if you don’t speak any other languages, you sometimes feel kind of hopeless and often bored.  I often find myself trying to enjoy TV in a language I don’t understand but it’s not generally very successful. Although I should say to be fair that there is football on Dutch TV tonight.

Public broadcasting in Holland actually originated in a system whereby the government sponsored various groups to set up television stations.  These groups were actually a mixture of political and religious organisations who were able with Government help to setup and run their very own broadcasting companies.  This funding situation didn’t last long, although Dutch TV is still dominated by lots of non-profit broadcasters who are allocated time based on their membership.   I’m not sure how it works out in Holland but I’m certain it wouldn’t work in the UK – we’d probably end up with a UKIP TV station transmitting 24 hours a day!  Or perhaps a massive Church of England TV channel that nobody ever watched.

Fortunately, British TV has developed along slightly different routes, and although many people don’t agree with the BBC being funded by a license fee.  I for one thing it’s definitely worth the money especially with the huge options and choice available on the online versions. The BBC has 12 great TV channels with a huge variety of shows in all sorts of areas.  It’s perhaps only lacking in live sport, due to the prohibitive costs but Match of the Day still shows highlights of the Premiership a few hours afterwards.  Plus, if you love cricket then Test Match Special is without doubt the best way to follow the test matches.

For news, documentaries, current affairs and high-quality drama I think the BBC is among the best in the world.  It continues to produce great shows like Killing Eve consistently and they’re all available on box sets to stream online for several months later.   The BBC’s online archive – BBC iPlayer was among the first from the major broadcasters and it’s continually being developed and enhanced. Many people in the UK for example will find way more programmes to watch on the BBC’s web site than from an expensive cable subscription like Sky.

How to Watch ITV in the Netherlands

The UK’s commercial stations are not that far behind either and all broadcast online. The largest one is called ITV Hub and can also be watch online both live and archived shows.  There are also some other channels such as Channels 4 and 5 where you can catch up with lots of other programmes.  All the commercial channels have increased the quality of their shows in the last few years, although they do buy in lots of stuff from America too.

Anyway, the point of this post is really about people who want to access UK television from Holland.  Maybe they love British TV, perhaps they’re UK travellers who don’t speak many Dutch or perhaps just want to practice their English.  Or perhaps they’re curious to watch the coverage of the Brexit chaos that’s currently underway!  Unfortunately, anyone who has tried to watch the BBC or ITV from outside the physical borders of the United Kingdom will face a screen like this if they try and watch anything.

It’s a geo-block, an internet filter based on your physical location. For the BBC that means that if you’re outside the UK you won’t be able to get access.  The same goes for all the other UK TV channels including ITV and Channel 4 – which are all accessible online from the UK only. Now I should point out at this point it’s not some miserable British anti-Europe thing, most of the world’s broadcasters do the same.  In the Netherlands I’m fairly sure all the Dutch broadcasters like RTL and SBS restrict access to the Dutch only as well.  For the majority of companies, it’s usually a commercial decision often regarding rights issues to many of the programmes.

Yet it’s still annoying especially if you’re stuck in a Dutch hotel on your own, with a blazing fast internet connection, a reasonably priced mini-bar and Match of the Day is about to start in ten minutes!   Fortunately, there is a solution, not only to getting access to the BBC but to all the many irritating blocks and filters applied based on your physical location.  It works anywhere, so it’s exactly the same process to watch UK TV in France or Germany for example.

How to Watch Channel 4 in the Netherlands and BBC iPlayer,ITV too!

So, here’s the issue, and as mentioned it’s one you’ll come across all over the world.  Over the last few years, many websites are using a technology called geo-location to restrict and control access to their websites.   Indeed, nearly every media or TV company operates in this way to some extent.  The most common implementation is to only allow access to the domestic market so for example you need to be in Holland to watch RTL or the UK to watch the BBC, Channel 4 and so on.  You’ll also find it on a more granular level on sites like YouTube where specific videos can be limited to certain countries.

There’s a way to bypass all these stupid blocks and ensure you can watch whatever you want irrespective of your location.  The following video shows you how to watch the British TV outside the UK, the start is a summary but skip to see the solution in action and discover how can I watch UK TV in Holland.

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So that’s it, remarkably easy especially when you’re using a laptop or PC.   What’s happening is that you’re hiding your real IP address behind something called a VPN/Proxy server.   This not only encrypts your internet connection, but something also essential if you want to use secure sites like web mail or online banking using public Wifi.  It also hides your location allowing you to switch country by connecting to a different server.  So, you’re never blocked – want to watch Dutch TV in USA? Just switch to a server in the Netherlands and it will work.

All the English TV Channels in the Netherlands

It’s actually quite simple to use and literally millions of people across the world now use VPN services.  If you visit the Costa Del Sol virtually every ex-pat on the coast has one including loads of octogenarians.   In fact, the last real estimate the BBC themselves in 2015 did suggested that over 60 million people are watching the BBC from outside the country.  That’s virtually the entire population again all streaming through a VPN and enjoying across the world.

Now obviously with these sorts of numbers, there are quite a few VPN services to choose from.  In fact, the numbers are much less since 2015 as the BBC instigated some technical and legal measures blocking many of them from working.  There is still plenty left though, but you should be careful which you select.

By far the most effective and reliable options are to use the dedicated secure VPNs rather than any fancy TV watching services.  The latter are much more targeted and frequently put out of business, taking your subscription with it.  My personal favorite is one called NordVPN which I have been using all over the world for more than 16 years mainly to watch British TV online.   It works very well in Holland and all European countries because of its fast servers and data connections.

Try it out and see how it works for you, it’s only a few Euros and you can try for 30 days with their money back guarantee.

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