How to Watch British TV in Germany
For many people who traveled, lived in or visited Germany or nearby Holland frequently there was a hope that soon British TV would be easily accessible there. The hope lay in the European Union’s efforts to try and establish a single digital market – meaning that anything you purchase in one European country would be freely accessible in another. So for example your BBC TV license should then allow you access to the station irrespective of your location. It looks like Brexit has put paid to these hopes and the BBC has certainly railed back on it’s plans to instigate some sort of secure login for those who pay for a TV license.
So we’re probably back to the current situation for the foreseeable future, i.e step foot outside the UK and you’ll get blocked from all the British TV stations online. So that’s all the BBC, ITV, Channels 4 and 5 all automatically filtered out to anyone who hasn’t got a British IP address.
Watch BBC iPlayer in Germany
Here’s an updated video showing how to watch BBC in Germany. It’s recorded in January 2024 and shows how you can still use a VPN without any issues at all to access English TV channels like the BBC and ITVX while in Germany.
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The technology is quite simple, although it’s slowly getting more advanced. When you connect to any of the UK TV websites your IP address is logged. Then the location is determined, via one of the many online databases available for this, if it’s not registered in the UK then you’ll get switched to an International version or simply blocked from anyone of the online video content. A few lucky people will have their IP address logged incorrectly but usually it’s pretty effective.
There is a solution of course, one that works for anyone from anywhere in the world. Indeed over three millions people managed to watch the BBC’s coverage of the England vs Tunisia football game from outside the United Kingdom.
How Anyone can Watch UK TV in Germany
Here’s the solution that has worked for well over a decade, demonstrated in this video. It shows how you can watch BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world including Germany.
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It’s basically an exercise in online privacy, obtaining the ability to hide your IP address and location from any site you visit. The software demonstrated is actually security software which allows you to route your internet connection through a secure VPN server. The crucial factor for watching British TV is that the server you use is based in the UK and hence has a British IP address.
Therefore when you connect to the BBC, the website registers the IP address of the VPN server not your real one. You will then be considered a UK based surfer and you’ll get full access to all the live TV channels (about 12 currently) plus the incredible BBC iPlayer archive too.
You’ll also get access to all the other stations like the ITVX and Channel 4 plus a few others. Indeed if you want to watch the current World Cup coverage then you’ll find it split almost equally across the BBC and ITV. Some of the websites also require an account but they’re free to create and all you need to do is to supply a valid UK postcode when you’re setting it up.
You can also use it to control access to other restricted websites too, irrespective of your location. If you have an active Sky subscription, then you’ll learn how to get Sky TV in Germany too. Simply connect through a UK VPN server.
VPN is How to Watch English TV in Germany
There are of course other options, you can get some channels using satellite TV in Germany too. However using a VPN is extremely simple, inexpensive and offers a level of privacy and flexibility too. For example not only can you watch British TV online you can also gain access to service in other countries too. If you want to watch on something where you can’t install a VPN like a Smart TV for example then you can also use a DNS solution for BBC iPlayer too.
Connect through a US server for example and you can watch all sorts of US restricted TV channels too like ABC, NBC and Hulu. Try out the wonderful US only online radio station Pandora too, which works perfectly through an active US VPN connection. Not only can you access American TV in Germany but you can also watch US versions of things like Netflix too.
There are some caveats though that you should consider. Firstly remember that when you’re connected to a UK or US VPN, then many German only channels won’t work either. The solution is simple though just disconnect the service when required.
The other issue is that although currently there’s several VPNs that do allow you to watch British TV in Germany, many have been blocked and filtered. Increasingly many companies are getting better at detecting multiple connections and poorly configured VPN connections. In addition you can only access Netflix with a particular type of IP address, one that is classified as residential. These are very difficult to obtain and if you want to access Netflix then you’ll need to check first – Identity Cloaker is one of only a few that do supply these addresses. It’s possible that other companies will introduce this technology too in the future so it’s something to be aware of.
It’s difficult to see what the future will hold, but it looks like we’re safe for the moment by choosing a decent VPN to watch British TV in Germany.
Can I Use a VPN to Watch German TV Abroad?
Yes, a VPN is the key to unlocking much more than just British TV channels it works all over the world. For example all the German TV stations do exactly the same as the BBC i.e. they block access when you’re outside Germany. This tedious practice is called geo-blocking and most of the world’s large media companies do the same thing. They allow access based on your location which is normally (but not always) determined by looking up your IP address.
Use a VPN to supply the digital nationality you require ! Pick a German IP address for German TV, a British one for English TV channels and a US one to enjoy some of the great American TV channels online.
Our recommendation is the ever trusty NordVPN which still works well, it’s best to try the short trial first to see if it works well for you.