How to Watch ITV Abroad: All the ways to get ITVX Anywhere in 2024
When people think of British TV channels they normally think first about the BBC. However there’s another company who’s online channels are just as good – it’s called ITV Hub. It’s more than just Coronation Street and you can watch in the same way as the BBC outside the UK.
If you are an ITV Hub user, then this article is for you. How to watch your favorite shows on any device? This article discusses how to use the internet service called “ITV Hub” to stream your favorite shows on any device, no matter where you are. Whether you’re at home or abroad, learn how to watch ITV abroad or any UK TV online – it’s easy and convenient with this guide.
How many Channels are available on ITVX?
ITV Hub is the official TV service from the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster – the ITV Network. ITV is available online however as usual the content is geo-restricted for those outside the UK. You can watch live or catch up with shows you’ve missed from their ‘on demand section’
ITV Hub is a United Kingdom TV streaming service launched by ITV, the country’s top entertainment network. Initially, it was available online only but now with this expansion, you can watch ITV Hub anywhere in the world. ITV Hub is owned by Media United Pte Ltd, which has its headquarters at Singapore. Now, with TV being available everywhere and you can easily access your favourite channel legally
The list of ITV Hub channels is as follows
- ITV – Thrilling drama, the nation’s favourite soaps, unmissable events and the biggest family entertainment.
- ITV2 – contains mostly comedy and light entertainment shows.
- ITV3 – is home to classic TV dramas, including, Vera and Doc Martin as well as Midsomer Murders and the remake of Endeavour .
- CITV – for kids, by kids. The best children’s TV programming including Scrambled, Thunderbirds and Share a Story.
- ITVbe – The home of inspiring reality content where humans live and people come face to face with all sorts of situations.
Remember though ITV Hub is financed by adverts so it won’t work with ad blocking running
Watch any UK TV Station Online
The ITV Hub is an online video player that works across all of the commercial channels. It allows you to watch your favorite UK TV shows and movies on any device, anywhere in the world. You need a UK IP address and account to access this service, but it’s worth it because all content can be streamed for free.
In fact all the major UK TV channels available online so it’s well worth checking them out. If you’re paying for an expensive English speaking cable package in your own country then it’s worth checking them out. They are all actually free to air and there’s no subscription requirement if you watch the adverts.
The main stumbling block with all these channels is that you need to be based in the UK to watch them. Although perhaps to be more specific you need a UK IP address to watch them, which means that there’s a handy workaround that you can use if you live elsewhere.
How to Watch ITV abroad
When you try and watch ITV from anywhere outside the UK then you’ll find it doesn’t work. You’ll usually get a similar message to this one- basically informing you that ITV Hub is only available in the UK.
So How Does ITV Know Where you Are ?
You’ve probably visited sites online which have told you your location. The reality is that almost any decent sized website will know where you are the moment you connect. It’s called geo-targeting – a website will look up your location when you connect to them. The information is used in various ways depending on the site. Sometimes it just customizes your view, other times it sends you to a different version. However with all the UK TV sites they will just block you from streaming anything.
It works primarily on your IP address, which are easily checked to see where they are registered to. Even a very simple check accessible to anyone can show the country and city of your ISP. So if this isn’t located in the UK then all the British TV sites including ITV Hub will block access. This type of error was received when trying to watch both ITV Hub and BBC iPlayer from Canada.
Unblock ITV with a VPN (Watching ITVX Abroad)
In fact you can unblock all the UK TV channels online with something called a VPN. Here’s how to watch ITV player abroad free of charge –
As you can see it’s quite straight forward, you can use the VPN connection to appear to be in any country you like. It doesn’t matter where you are – you can be anywhere from Holland to Spain or just across the sea in Ireland – the fix is just the same. For all the UK Television channels then you connect to a UK VPN server, for American channels like Hulu just use a USA one. Basically works with the vast majority of TV channels across the world, as long as you have a server in the right country.
If you want a recommendation for an inexpensive VPN which works well with ITV from any country then why not try NordVPN.
It’s probably the largest VPN service with servers all over the world. It’s inexpensive, reliable and has support for all your devices. So if you want to watch ITV player abroad on iPad, Smart phones and your TV then it’s a great choice. What’s more you can get a full refund if you’re not happy with NordVPN within 30 days.
What devices can I use to Stream ITV ?
Potentially depending on what VPN you choose then almost anything that is connected to the internet. Certainly computers and laptops are fine with almost all VPN programs. However other devices may require some manual configuration.
The bigger VPN services like NordVPN have custom apps for things like smartphones which make them easy to use. Other VPN services allow you to set up manual connections to their servers from your devices. This is normally fairly simple to do and you usually only have to do it once.
There are some devices like games consoles and smart TVs which are a little different you generally have two options which we’ll cover in the next section.
Watching ITV Abroad on Smart TVs, Games Consoles etc.
The difficult part with these sorts of systems is that it’s difficult to install the VPN client software. You can’t just install an app or run a program on most smart TVs for example. The same for lots of media streamer although NordVPN does have an application you can install on Android based boxed like the Nvidia Shield.
There are basically two options depending on which VPN you are using –
Using Smart DNS for ITV Hub
Some of the VPN services like NordVPN have expanded their subscriptions to include a technology called Smart DNS. This is a neat way of enabling your VPN connection only for specific sites via DNS servers.
Basically you change your DNS settings to the one set up by the VPN service and it will intercept connections if going to a geo-targeted site like BBC iPlayer or ITV Hub. It relies on the DNS request to identify the target server and won’t operate if the site hasn’t been configured on the Smart DNS server. If it sees a geo-locked site the connection is routed through the appropriate VPN server.
The advantages are that it uses less of your internet connection as it’s only used when needed. Also it can be used on any device where you have access to the network settings and can specify the DNS servers.
NOTE: some devices including many smart TVs and media streamers like the Roku won’t let you change their DNS settings. It’s believed under pressure from content providers and the major media companies so you can’t bypass the geo-blocks.
Create VPN Connection on Router for ITV Access
If your VPN service doesn’t provide a Smart DNS option then you only have one option. As you can’t install the VPN on specific devices like Smart TVs and games consoles then you’ll have to install on your internet router/gateway.
It’s not that difficult to do depending on which router you own. Basically you’re installing a client VPN connection from your router to a specific VPN server. This means that all your traffic from every device will be routed through the VPN connection. So if you’re primary goal is to watch UK television then you should enable the VPN to connect to a UK server.
Create a Single VPN Connection
This is great for connecting multiple devices all from a single point although it does have it’s drawbacks. It’s not as flexible as using the VPN software on each device as it’s not as easy to switch it on and off. Also the VPN is enabled all the time for every device until you turn it off. Remember switching a VPN to another country will affect all your browsing, including things like search engines which will give you search results based on your VPN location too.
You can configure the routing tables or firewalls on your router if it has the functionality. Basically you can configure exceptions based on sites or certain devices to ignore the VPN connection if you wish. This starts to get much more complicated though so is only for people who enjoy the technical stuff.
ITV Abroad FAQs
What is ITV Hub+?
This is a premium subscription service you can buy from ITV to get rid of the advertising. It doesn’t add any new content currently but you can watch without any interruptions. If you do want to subscribe to this and you’re not in the UK you’ll need to use your VPN as normal. However you’ll also need a UK form of payment, a US credit card for example won’t work.
Can I Use Free VPNs like Hotspot Shield to watch ITV ?
Potentially it might be possible however there are two important issues that usually cause a problem with free VPNs.
- They’re too slow ! All the free VPNs are pretty slow which makes streaming video a very unpleasant experience. It usually involves lots of buffering and programmes freezing. For the BBC you can use the downloader to watch offline though to bypass this issue.
- They’re usually blocked by ITV and BBC automatically. Using a free VPN usually means you’re sharing it with a lot of people. This in turn means it’s normally very easy to spot and the IP addresses of free VPNs are normally blocked.
What devices can I use to stream?
Potentially all devices however it’s much easier if you can install the VPN client software. See the section on watching ITV abroad on consoles etc for more information.
Watch Channel 4 abroad?
Yes and it’s well worth checking out Channel 4s website and player which is called All 4. The same rules apply, always have a UK VPN connection enabled before you visit the site. Remember to check out the BBC too – there’s a new Dr Who Series streaming at the end of October too.
Do I Need an Account for ITV Hub ?
You now need accounts for all the major media sites in the UK including ITV Hub. Don’t worry though they’re simple to setup and free. Just make sure you enable your VPN connection to a UK server before you start creating the account.
You’ll need an email address and to answer a few simple questions. You’ll be asked for a UK postcode (like a US Zip code) to specify your location.
I Need a UK Postal Code ?? I Don’t have one !
Most of the UK Tv sites including the BBC and ITV ones ask you for a postcode when setting up your account. This is supposed to be your home address, but fortunately they have absolutely no way of checking.
So all you need to do is to have a valid UK postcode ready to input when asked. It can literally be anywhere (as long as it’s in the UK obviously). A hotel, or UK attraction is fine – if you want to just grab one there’s a bunch of postcodes for ITV on this page.
Have ITV and BBC Have Blocked VPNs?
Yes, unfortunately this is true both ITV and BBC have blocked thousands of VPN servers over the last couple of years. BBC iPlayer tends to be slightly more strict but it’s true that the majority of VPN services don’t work with either. However it’s important to point out that this doesn’t include all VPNs as quite a few have worked hard to make sure access is continued. If you want to learn how they are blocking VPNs read this.
Check your VPN works with ITV Hub before taking out a long subscription. Better still make sure you have some sort of money back guarantee if there is a problem. NordVPN have a 30 day guarantee so you can check it works ok or get your money back.