Stream BBC World Live : How To Watch BBC iPlayer in South Africa

For many people in Africa, the BBC radio broadcasts are a vital source of news and information.  Unfortunately the wonderful BBC TV broadcasts are restricted outside the UK.  However it’s possible to watch all the BBC shows both live and recorded using a simple technique detailed below.

Quick Summary Access the BBC from Africa (or anywhere outside UK)

If you don’t want to read the whole article, this is what you need to do.

• • • • Sign up for a VPN Service with fast UK servers (NordVPN Works Well)
      • Download/Install the correct applications for your devices
      • Connect to your VPN (Select a UK based Server)
      • Sign into BBC iPlayer with your account (or create a free one)
      • Stream BBC iPlayer either the live channels or anything from the huge archive.
      • Use the downloader to watch offline.
      • Disconnect VPN or choose a local server to switch to normal access after viewing.

    Check Below for Video Demonstration.

    What is BBC iPlayer ?

    Basically it’s the website where you can watch BBC programmes over the internet.

    The sites contains all the BBC TV channels which broadcast live, most of them 24 hours a day. Plus nearly every programme is available for a specific time from the archive. There’s also many other shows and programmes made available from the BBC archives.

    What are the BBC TV channels ?

    The BBC offers a variety of TV channels in all sorts of categories covering News, sports, documentaries and many more. The channels available live online are as follows –

    BBC One

    On BBC One you’ll find a mix of news, documentary and current affairs, family drama, comedy and entertainment programmes

    BBC Two

    Documentary programmes, such as arts and history programs, are featured on BBC Two. Programs like science shows are also a big part of their line up.

    BBC Three

    BBC Three is the home of more experimental and ground breaking shows across virtually all genres from broadcasting comedy, entertainment and documentaries.

    

    BBC Four

    The BBC provides a wide range of high-quality programming that is intellectually and culturally enriching, taking an in-depth approach to a wide range of subjects. Lots of quality documentaries presented by relevant experts on all sorts of subjects.

    CBBC

    This is the channel for6-12 year olds and has lots of drama, entertainment, comedy and news programmes.

    CBeebies

    For the very youngest viewers, CBeebies is a huge favourite for pre-schoolers and their parents. World famous high quality children’s shows designed to entertain and inspire active play, creativity and imagination.

    BBC News

    The UK’s most-watched news channel offers broadcasts 24 hours a day and features correspondents from many places throughout the world. The BBC News team has one of the world’s biggest news journalist teams cover news and current affairs across the planet.

    

    BBC Regional Channels

    These include BBC Scotland, BBC Alba, BBC Wales and the Welsh speaking channel S4C. In addition there are local news coverage from all over the United Kingdom. You can customise your preferences for the local coverage in the BBC iPlayer options.

    So Is BBC iPlayer available Anywhere in Africa?

    Unfortunately BBC iPlayer is not available anywhere in Africa at the moment. If you try and access the main iPlayer site you’ll be automatically redirected to the ‘international’ version. This is full of news and information but unfortunately doesn’t have any of the live or archive TV channels available. This is what it looks like in February 2022 – as you can see it’s listed as bbc.com as opposed to bbc.co.uk

    

    If you try and go directly to the BBC iPlayer site, then everything will appear to work until you try and watch a channels or TV programme. At this point you’ll be informed that the service is only available in the United Kingdom, basically nothing will work apart from some of the radio channels.

    Why you cannot watch Stream BBC World or iPlayer in Africa (Outside of the UK)?

    BBC iPlayer is a video service that is only available in the UK. This means that if you are not physically located in the UK, you will not be able to watch BBC iPlayer content. This is because of rights reasons- the BBC has to pay for some of the rights to air all of its content and it can only do so within the UK. There are ways to get around this restriction, but they vary depending on your location.

    Basically if you’re not in the United Kingdom you’ll be blocked from accessing BBC iPlayer.

    The way they do this is by using a technology called geotargeting or geo-blocking. It basically involves looking up your location when you connect to the site by using your IP address. This is the unique network number which every device needs to connect to the internet. Unfortunately it can also be used to accurately determine your location, which is then used to control access.

    However, there are ways to bypass these restrictions and watch BBC iPlayer content from anywhere in the world. One way is to use a VPN service to hide your IP address and make it appear as if you are located in the UK.

    Yes BBC iPlayer is Geoblocked in SA Too !

    Basically this happens anywhere outside the United Kingdom, it doesn’t matter if you’re in Johannesburg or Cairo. If your IP address is not registered in the UK then nothing will work.

    However it should also be mentioned that this behaviour is not just limited to the BBC. Virtually every large media or TV company in the world does exactly the same. In fact you can’t access South African channels like SABC outside SA either.

    

    Any large media company will generally restrict access online to their domestic market. It’s just not really feasible to make content globally available as you’d need to own broadcasting rights to each and every country. Until this national based licensing changes to something more global this situation is unlikely to change.

    So What do you need to watch BBC iPlayer in Africa ?

    BBC iPlayer is a wonderful streaming service and well worth watching. So how can you bypass this geotargeting technology and watch it outside the UK? Well, it actually fairly simple – if you are located outside of the UK, you will need to use a VPN to access the service.

    

    A VPN (Virtual Private Network) allows you to connect to a server in another location, which then gives you an IP address for that location. This will allow you to bypass any geo-blocking measures and watch BBC iPlayer in Africa (or anywhere else).  What’s more they’re easy to use and you can install on most devices including things like smartphones, iPads and of course computers and laptops.

    How Does a VPN Help Watch British TV ?

    Simply because it gives you an element of control over your IP address. You can’t change this address but you can hide your real location and use an alternative one instead. When you connect to a VPN server your identity and location are hidden from any website you visit.

    The VPN was originally designed to keep your data secure, everything is encrypted down the VPN connection. However when you connect to the VPN then only the IP address of that server is visible. So if you connect to a US VPN then you’ll appear to be in the US, if you use a British VPN then you’ll look like your in the UK and so on.  The VPN makes your location irrelevant, watch British TV from US, or US TV from Africa and any combination !

    Connect to a UK Server for British TV in Africa

    So if you connect your VPN to a British server, your real location is irrelevant. The BBC will only see the IP address of the server in the UK and everything will work perfectly. Here’s how easy it is using one of the most popular VPNs – NordVPN

    
    

    NordVPN Latest Deal

    As you can see it requires no technological expertise. Just select the right country and connect before you visit a website and you’ll appear to be from that country.  You will be asked if you have a UK TV license, there’s no check but you have to say YES to continue.

  • Just remember to disconnect after or switch to a local server when you’re finished. It’s important to remember you can be blocked from African sites when you have a British IP address !

    Watch Every British TV Channel From Africa

    For most of us, BBC is the primary goal of accessing British TV. Indeed all across the world millions of people use this ‘loophole’ to watch the BBC every day. If you visit the UK Expat communities in Spain or Ireland, there’s literally nobody who doesn’t use this technique to watch UK television stations. The days of expensive cable subscriptions or satellite dishes are gone, a few Euros on a decent VPN is all anyone needs.

    

    However there’s much more available from British Television than the BBC. In fact there’s several other high quality channels that broadcast online too. You can enjoy lots more UK TV abroad too. Checkout ITV Hub, Channel 4 and Channel 5 – all high quality broadcasters with lots of original and syndicated shows and movies.