When talking about some of the best UK TV channels, we often think about BBC iPlayer. However, I would lie if I said that ITV isn’t a close second with its varied content that includes full series, shows, and news reports for those who want to stay informed.
Much like BBC iPlayer, ITV is completely free and can be enjoyed with a free account. Unfortunately, that applies only to those located in the United Kingdom, where this channel is available. But then, how to watch ITV live outside of the UK?
Is something like that possible? Well, I’ll give you some great news – it is and it’s very simple! Today, I’ll show you exactly that and explain how to watch ITV Hub abroad, no matter where you’re located. Trust me, it’s going to be easy and you won’t have to spend hours trying to make it work.
Why I Can’t Watch ITV Outside of the UK?
Browsing the internet isn’t as completely limitless as people think it is. As much as we’d like free access to foreign TV channels and streaming platforms, there’s always this legal background that makes things harder for us.
Local TV channels like BBC iPlayer and ITV, for example, are restricted only to the United Kingdom. If you’re located anywhere else except this country, you will see a geo-restriction message when trying to watch their content. I am not located in the UK and when trying to watch anything on ITV, I get this result:
As you can clearly see, ITV says that I’m not located in the UK so I can’t access its content like Live TV and Catch Up, which is basically the entirety of the platform. This is because of broadcasting rights that allow this channel to display its content only in the United Kingdom.
Now, how does the channel know that I’m located abroad? Well, it reads my IP address which isn’t based in this country, and by doing so, it can restrict me from accessing the site. This exact IP address is the key to watching ITV live outside of the UK.
How to Watch ITV Abroad – Full Tutorial
If I don’t want to travel to Great Britain and I want to watch ITV live abroad, my only option is to change my IP address. In fact, I need to change my IP address to the UK which will make ITV see this as my real location and let me access its content as if I’m physically located in this country.
To do that, I’ll need to use a VPN. What is a VPN? It’s a service that allows you to change your IP address to another country, hide your original IP, and secure your connection. Above all, it lets you bypass geo-restrictions such as this one and access blocked content anywhere.
Keep in mind that not every VPN will let you unblock ITV Hub outside of the UK, but the one that works flawlessly is NordVPN. It has 6,300 servers in 110+ countries, with several server locations in this country, which makes it dead simple to access the platform abroad.
Let’s see how to use it for this purpose:
1. Subscribe to NordVPN
First off, you’ll need to get a subscription plan from NordVPN. My recommendation is its famous 2-year plan with a 65+% discount and a few free months. Don’t forget about its 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans either.
Just use the red button above to get this cheapest plan, subscribe to it, and move on to Step 2.
2. Install NordVPN
Installing NordVPN is a breeze. After subscribing, it’ll let you download its apps, which you can do on any device. For example, you can use this VPN service on Kodi but I’ll use it on my Windows computer to show you the steps.
In this case, just download the setup file from its website, install it, and the app will be ready. Simply open it up, sign in, and you’ll see the beautiful dashboard of NordVPN.
3. Connect to a UK VPN Server
The next step is vital – getting an IP address from the UK! Open the server list, scroll down, and find the UK. Click on it to establish a connection to a server in that country.
You’ll see NordVPN displaying “Connected” in green, which indicates that your UK IP address is in place.
4. Visit ITV and Enjoy
With that in place, you’ll be able to watch ITV live outside of the UK. Visit the website, create a free account (mandatory!), and try to watch Live TV.
As you can see in the screenshot above, I have no issues accessing and watching ITV live abroad – solid proof that the solution works.
By following these steps, you can enjoy all the ITV programs, including the Tour de France, the world’s biggest cycling race.
Free VPN for ITV: Can Free VPNs Unblock ITV Abroad?
If you’re looking to watch ITV Hub live outside of the UK, using a free VPN is the last thing I recommend. As you most likely can assume, free providers offer a significantly lower quality of service than paid providers like NordVPN, for instance.
You can check my article about the best free VPN for Android where I also talk about their limitations and shortcomings. However, to summarize, I can tell you that they offer poor performance further exacerbated by unstable connections and limited bandwidth.
For example, TunnelBear gives you 2 GB a month while Windscribe gives you 10 GB, both of which are far from enough for watching ITV live outside of the UK. Not to mention their inability to unblock geo-restricted streaming platforms, which is another crippling revelation.
Besides, free providers usually have no servers in the United Kingdom, and with no ability to get an IP from this country, you can’t unblock the platform. Finally, free providers are known for intrusive logging and lack of basic security features, which surely won’t make you jump in excitement.
Many of them come with malware and some of them won’t encrypt your connection at all. To make sure you can truly watch ITV Hub abroad and stay anonymous online, getting a premium provider like NordVPN makes much more sense.
How to Watch ITV Live Abroad With CyberGhost [Cheaper Option]
If you find NordVPN a bit too expensive or if it doesn’t work for you for whatever reason, you can try out CyberGhost VPN. This provider functions the same and it offers hundreds of servers in the UK, letting you unblock this channel effortlessly.
What’s more, it has dedicated streaming servers in this country that are made specifically with unblocking ITV outside of the UK in mind. Once you double-click on this server location, CyberGhost will connect you to a corresponding server.
From there, as you can see, you can watch ITV live (or on-demand) no matter your location, the same way you did with CyberGhost. By the way, CyberGhost is a more affordable solution and if that’s what you seek, the 2-year plan is its cheapest deal.
This plan, along with a 45-day money-back guarantee that comes with it, can be claimed by using the red button above. Just keep in mind that CyberGhost will not work in China and Iran, so if you live in these countries, go for NordVPN instead.
CyberGhost also isn’t better than our #1 provider NordVPN. It’s just a slightly more affordable option that will work pretty well for watching ITV abroad.
Can I Watch ITV Without a TV License?
The majority of US TV channels will require you to have a TV license to work. On the other hand, ITV, BBC iPlayer, and other UK TV channels won’t, and on top of that, they’re free.
Sure, BBC iPlayer asks you if you have a TV license before watching, but if you confirm that you have one, it requires no further verification. ITV is even better, as it doesn’t ask for a TV license and you can start watching it live as soon as you make an account.
Needless to say, on the ITV website, you can watch ITV1, ITV2, and other channels under this brand as long as you have a free account and an IP address from the UK.
Is ITV Free?
Yes, it’s completely free, although, in this case, the site is very aggressive at displaying ads. For example, if you’re not watching Live TV and you try watching some series, ads will appear before the start of each episode and a few times during the episode.
To be honest, its ads are a bit longer than you’d expect, which is why this TV channel offers a solution – ITV Hub+. It’s a premium version of the channel that costs £3.99 a month or £39.99 a year and it eliminates ads and lets you download shows on your mobile phone.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that you can easily watch ITV live outside of the UK by using a VPN service. Our recommendation is NordVPN simply because it’s the most reliable and fastest option for streaming. CyberGhost will work well too and thanks to its dedicated ITV servers, you’ll have no issues.
When choosing a VPN for ITV make sure you go for a premium solution that won’t limit your bandwidth and performance. This way, you ensure buttery-smooth streaming that will make you appreciate the entire experience even more.
FAQ
Let’s talk about a few more things related to watching ITV abroad.
Is watching ITV with a VPN legal?
ITV has a license to broadcast its content to people in the UK only. Therefore, unblocking it with a VPN might seem illegal at first. On the other hand, this channel’s T&C doesn’t mention the use of a VPN anywhere and there are no special clause that forbids it.
This means you’re free to use the VPN to access this platform outside of the United Kingdom. Very few things are actually illegal when talking about streaming and unblocking content. Even when discussing online betting and gambling, the worst thing that can happen is to have your account banned if you’re detected using a VPN.
You haven’t stolen anything or done anything similar, so you don’t have to be afraid of the law.
Can a free proxy service unblock ITV?
Unfortunately, the answer is negative. Free proxies are made for bypassing mild firewall restrictions like those in school or the workplace. For streaming, you’ll find free proxies very underwhelming because they usually don’t work with foreign TV channels and streaming services.
Not to mention they don’t allow you to choose the online location you want to use, which makes streaming almost impossible. Since we’re talking about free proxies, they’re notorious for logging your browsing history and collecting private information – another red flag.
Paid proxies might work but they’re incredibly expensive and difficult to set up. The easiest way is to use a VPN, connect to the UK server, and watch ITV live abroad.
What can I watch on ITV?
You can watch everything from series and movies to sports for free. The channel is super versatile and lets you indulge in some of the most interesting content in the UK. Even better, you can also watch the news and enjoy numerous entertainment programs on various ITV channels – there are more than 20!
