Watch BBC iPlayer in Canada in 2024 Using a Simple VPN Program
Want to watch some of the best Tv programs in the world for nothing? Although it sounds too good to be true it’s perfectly possible to watch all of the UK’s TV stations online including the BBC for nothing.
It’s not entirely free as you will need something called a VPN if you’re outside the UK like Canada. However they’re not that expensive and open up a whole world of great TV stations from all over the place!
This post will explain everything you need to know about watching UK TV sites like BBC iPlayer in Canada. It’s simple, requires no technical knowledge and you can actually be watching in minutes.
Why is BBC iPlayer not available in Canada?
The BBC iPlayer is a streaming service that allows you to watch and stream content from the UK on your computer, phone, or tablet. Unfortunately, the BBC iPlayer is not available in Canada because of geographic restrictions on their services.
The ban is actually more to do with licensing issues outside the United Kingdom – it’s unlikely these will be resolved in the near future. The exact same thing happens in reverse, Canadian TV channels online are not accessible outside Canada. Basically media companies license their content based on specific locations – which means it would cost much more to broadcast to others even using the internet.
However, there are some solutions for those who want to bypass these many blocks. The most popular is to use a service called VPN (Virtual Private Network) software like NordVPN which can help you get around the restrictions.
How Does the BBC Know Where I Am ?
Whenever you access any major website, they will look up your location by using your IP address. This is a unique network number that every device needs to go online. Unfortunately it’s also an accurate record of your physical location because every IP address is registered in a specific country.
It’s called geo-targeting and it has many uses including restricting access based on where you are physically located. Unfortunately it’s not easy to change your real IP address because they’re usually allocated by an internet service provider (ISP). You certainly can’t ask them for one registered in another country either.
What is a VPN?
A VPN or Virtual Private Network is a secure connection to another network over the internet. They are very similar to proxies and can be used for a variety of different reasons, including access to local network resources remotely and bypassing Internet censorship.
Basically they hide your identity and real location by acting as the intermediary in network communications. Any website you visit will only see the IP address and location of the VPN server itself. This means by connecting to VPN servers in different countries you can sidestep all the geo-targeting blocks which many large sites operate.
Why does a VPN unblock the iPlayer?
BBC iPlayer is a British TV service that offers streaming content. It provides access to the BBC’s radio, television and on-demand services. In order for users outside of the UK to access it, they must first use a VPN or proxy server which will unblock geo-restrictions in your country. There are various reasons why someone would need this kind of software:
- Unblocking geographically restricted websites
- Protecting from data protection violations
- Preventing ISP throttling
- Unblocking geographically restricted services
- Protecting your identity and personal data from surveillance
Probably the most popular reason though is unblocking geographically blocked websites like BBC iPlayer. Basically the site only works when you connect from a UK based location. By using a VPN your actual location is irrelevant as only the VPN IP address is visible.
So to unblock BBC iPlayer in Canada all you need to do is connect to a VPN server in the UK before you visit the site. The same things work for all the other UK TV sites like ITV Hub and Channel 4 – just enable the UK VPN connection.
Watching BBC iPlayer Channels
Here’s how it’s done, this video demonstrates how you can watch the BBC from anywhere using a VPN like NordVPN.
Just watch the video to see how easy it is –
List of All iPlayer Channels
There are the main UK TV channels on BBC iPlayer. You can watch them live or via the archive. Most programmes are available for a few months after with a few exceptions. These are mainly the News programmes, sporting shows like Match of the Day and a some movies.
- BBC One (Live Stream)
- BBC Alba
- BBC Two
- BBC Three
- BBC Four
- BBC News
- BBC Parliament
- CBBC
- CBeebies
- Radio 1
FAQ – About Watching BBC iPlayer from Canada
You’ll likely hear lots of stories and rumours about watching the BBC from outside the UK. Many people insisting that it’s no longer possible for a variety of reasons. Here’s a few of the areas of concern.
Creating a BBC Account
Starting in 2021, all users of the BBC iPlayer must be logged in before they could continue. This policy change has been made to reduce the attraction of piracy and make it easier for people to access content on their terms.
If you want to watch TV with a VPN, there is still hope for you! Following this new policy change, BBC recommends that people use popular movies and shows along with their list of channels if they want to watch on the official site. You can create a BBC iPlayer site from anywhere if you enable your UK VPN first there’s only a couple of things you need –
Valid Email Address
Any email address will do, there’s no checks on the origins of the email addresses. If you’re worried just use a generic webmail account from Microsoft or Google. As long as it works and you can validate the accounts that’s all you need.
Do I Need a UK Postcode ?
You will be asked for a UK postcode when you set up the account. However it’s important to remember as long as it’s a real, valid post code then you’ll be fine. There’s no check to see if you’re registered there or anything like that. There’s lots of sites which have postcodes you can use or just pick any address online and use that.
The only effect it will have is that you’ll be linked to that region initially for local services. So for example if you chose a postcode from Manchester, you’d get local news, weather etc from that area.
Do I Need a UK TV License ?
When you use BBC iPlayer or sign up initially you’ll be asked if you have a UK TV license. Unfortunately these are only available to people in the UK – so you can’t buy one from Canada anyway. Fortunately this question is not checked or validated in any way.
As long as you say – “YES I Have a UK TV License“, then everything will work perfectly as long as you have a decent UK VPN enabled. If you can’t face doing this, then I’m afraid that’s the end of it – a VPN won’t help you as you won’t be able to watch anything on the site.
Will the BBC check my name and address on the TV license register?
You might think it’s odd that the BBC doesn’t validate this and check if you do actually have a UK TV license. There were plans to implement this check as part of the European Single market approach to digital services. Basic idea was that all digital services should not be restricted throughout the European Union. However these were scrapped when the UK left the EU – doesn’t seem that they’re going to reintroduce this.
As stated, there’s no check at all on whether you actually have a UK TV license although you will be asked routinely!
What Devices can I watch BBC iPlayer on?
BBC iPlayer is a streaming service that offers access to BBC TV shows. It’s available on most devices with one simple app and is free for anyone who wants to watch it! On top of this, it has easy-to-use features that make watching your favourite show even more enjoyable. It’s a great way to watch UK TV over the internet.
You can watch it on most devices including computers, tablets, media streamers and even games consoles. If you’re watching from Canada the most important factor is how you use a VPN on that device. The popular VPN services like NordVPN have versions for most platforms including phones, tablets, PCs etc.
Install VPN On Router for Unsupported Devices
That doesn’t cover everything though for example there’s no simple method to install the VPN software on games consoles or Smart TVs. You can either stream to a PC, Laptop and then ‘cast to that device’ if it supports this. Many modern laptops you can connect a HDMI cable to watch through your TV.
Or you can set up the VPN directly onto your router so that everything uses the VPN connection (ask your provider about this). This is a little bit more complicated than simply installing the software – though any decent support desk should be able to help you.
Best VPNs to watch BBC iPlayer in Canada
A few years ago it didn’t really matter that much, pretty much any VPN with UK servers would work fine. Although the BBC iPlayer has always blocked access to non-UK connections – it didn’t really try very hard to stop workarounds like VPNs. Basically they all worked !
From 2020 this all changed, the BBC like other large media companies started to really try and enforce their restrictions and block access to proxies and VPNs too. They used a variety of methods and techniques to detect these VPNs and were very successful!
The reality is that now many of the VPNs you can find advertised online no longer work with many media site including the BBC iPlayer and the other UK TV channels like ITV Hub. Don’t worry there’s still many that do – our favorite is NordVPN because it’s easily one of the most reliable. You can use it to watch UK TV everywhere.
NordVPN BBC Optimized Servers
You’ll not find any successful VPN service openly advertising the facility to access specific entertainment sites like the BBC. Its important to make this functionality low key in order to maintain access.
NordVPN takes a typically low key approach to supporting access however they take it very seriously. In fact NordVPN specifically maintain a selection of their many servers with BBC iPlayer access. So when you want to use your BBC iPlayer account you should select one of these servers –
UK# 1840-1847, 1850-1863, 1865, 1869, 1873, 1875-1878, 1880-1881, 1900-1901, 1903-1904, 1911, 1913, 1917, 1919-1920.