Back in 2014, the United Kingdom added yet another top streaming service to its list, UKTV Play. This British channel allows users to stream content from top free-to-air channels such as Dave, Really, Yesterday, and Drama. But that’s not all. Streamers also get to watch popular shows, including the likes of A Place to Call Home, An Inspector Calls, Africa, and so many more. The service is growing over time, but it’s coverage rights are still limited to those living in the United Kingdom. However, despite the geo-restrictions imposed, by the end of the guide, you’ll be able to stream UKTV Play anywhere.
Availability is in the Name
UKTV Play has become very popular in the country due to its wide variety of TV shows, programs, and movies. And to top it all up, it’s completely free. You just have to create a free account, and you’ll be able to access all of its content.
According to their official websites:
“UKTV Play is a free catch-up TV service where you can watch the TV shows you love from Dave, Yesterday, Really and Drama wherever you want, whenever you want.”
Despite the effort, what they stated is not entirely true. First, the “Whenever” part is questionable, as some of the videos are available for a limited time. For example, you’ll find on the top right of the video you’re watching the number of days left for its availability.
On the other hand, the “Wherever” part is our problem for the day. The channel is only available in the United Kingdom, courtesy of geo-restrictions. This is a defense mechanism used to restrict user access based on his/her geographical location.
The service examines your IP address to pinpoint your physical whereabouts. If you’re IP is not British, you’re not getting in. So, in other words, if you’re an ex-pat or happen to be traveling abroad, this is what you get once you open a video on UKTV Play:
“This stream is only available to viewers in the United Kingdom.”
You might also get a “Sad Face” instead of the error, but that’s not going to be the case for long. In the next part, you’ll learn how to unblock UKTV Play anywhere, let’s go.
UKTV Play – From the UK to Everywhere
To access the channel’s library outside the UK, you need to mask your location and appear to be browsing the web from the United Kingdom. The easiest and most effective way to do so is by using a Virtual Private Network.
Globally known as a VPN, it is a system that encrypts your internet traffic as it reroutes it through a dedicated server in a country of your choosing. This adds an extra layer of protection to your private information and cloaks your original IP address (extra anonymity), assigning you a temporary one based in the region where the server is located.
As a result, you’ll be able to access any restricted online content in that country no matter where you are. For example, if you connect to a server in the UK, the VPN will assign you a British IP address.
Now, you’re basically a virtual UK resident, which means that you can access the likes of UKTV Play despite living on the other side of the map. It’s a simple task, let us guide you through it:
- First, you must sign up with a reputable VPN provider. In case you don’t know any, we recommend ExpressVPN.
- Download and install the VPN application on your device. You’ll find clients available on Android, iOS, PC, and Mac.
- Run the app, sign in with your newly created username and password, and head over to the server list.
- Choose a server in the United Kingdom and hit connect.
- Wait a few seconds for the connection to establish and check your new IP address using our own Verifier.
- Launch UKTV Play’s website or their dedicated app.
- Stream top UK television wherever you are.
We recommended ExpressVPN for a reason. Our team follows a very strict evaluation process to determine the credibility of a VPN provider. So, according to this, ExpressVPN is on top of our list.
Why ExpressVPN?
The service has been around for quite some time now, unblocking online streaming services and protecting its users along the way.
It has an impressive network of streaming-optimized servers in 94 countries, including five servers in the United Kingdom.
Speaking of streaming, ExpressVPN’s servers come with excellent speeds; most of them allow users to stream in full HD and UHD.
Now, in case more than one member at home wants to stream geo-restricted content, ExpressVPN allows six simultaneous connections.
In other words, a single account can be used by six individuals at the same time. Moreover, ExpressVPN has an extra tool for streaming blocked content.
It goes by the name of MediaStreamer, a Smart DNS technology that spoofs your location without tampering with your internet speed. However, you won’t be adding any extra protection in the process.
In case you run into trouble or need help with the VPN setup, their customer support team is available 24/7. You can contact them via live chat and fix your problem on the spot. If the problem continues and you don’t feel like ExpressVPN is the provider for you, ask for a refund within the first 30 days of purchase.
It’s a very credible money-back guarantee, and no questions will be asked. Now, ExpressVPN is topping the charts nowadays, but it’s not the only one capable of unblocking UKTV Play. Here’s a couple more to expand your options.
- 30-Day Money-back Guarantee
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Apps For All Your Devices
- 24/7 Live Support
UKTV Play – Device Compatibility
Now that you know how to unblock UKTV Play outside the UK, let’s take a look at the streaming platforms that support it:
- Windows PC
- Mac
- iOS
- Android
- Samsung Smart TV
- Apple TV
- Roku
- Amazon Fire Stick
- Chromecast
- Now TV
What’s on UKTV Play?
You might ask yourself, why would you go through all this trouble to access UKTV Play abroad? Well, it’s simple, it’s all about the content. If you like UK television, then UKTV Play is all you’re looking for. Here’s a couple of titles to get you started:
- TaskMaster
- Hypothetical
- Bangers & Cash
- Abandoned Engineering
- New Tricks
- Not Going Out
- Flack
- Red Dwarf
- Sharpe
- Murder Maps
- Birds Feather
- The Heart Guy
- Lovejoy
- Top Gear
- Soldier Soldier
- Forbidden History
- A Place to Call Home
- Zapped
- Fresh Fields
- Porters
- Mercy Street
- Eastenders
- Murdoch Mysteries
How to Watch UKTV Play Anywhere – Final Thoughts
It doesn’t really matter where you are on the map anymore. Now that you have a VPN at your disposal, you can bypass every single limitation the World Wide Web throws at you. Streaming UKTV Play has never been easier. All you have to do is get yourself a credible VPN, connect to a UK server, and watch UKTV Play wherever you may be.
If you need a helping hand setting up a VPN connection, drop us a line or two in the comments below.
