In this article I will explain how to watch Australian TV in the UK.
If you’re an Australian expat living in the UK, you may be missing some of your favourite Australian TV channels. Unfortunately, if you’re in the UK, you can’t just login to your favourite Australian TV websites and watch content like you do back home. Even if you pay for them. You’ll come across an error that says something like, “this content is only available in Australia.”
Fortunately, there is a straightforward fix for this. You need a VPN that will spoof your location and make it appear as if you’re using an Aussie internet connection. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to watch Australian TV from anywhere in the world.
In this guide, I will explain how easy it is to watch Australian TV in the UK using a VPN and also how you can make sure you never run into a “this content is only available in Australia” error again.
See Also:
- How to watch Stan outside of Australia
- How to watch 7plus outside of Australia
- Betfair not working with your VPN? There’s a simple fix!
How to watch Australian TV in the UK: Quick Guide
If you want to watch Australian TV in the UK, or anywhere in the world, you need to spoof your IP address to make it appear as if you’re connecting from somewhere in Australia. The best (and easiest) way to do this is to use a VPN.
VPN’s use a combination of military-grade encryption and a global network of servers that reroute your internet connection to a location of your choice. This simple, but effective, technique is all that’s needed to watch Australian TV in the UK (or anywhere).
Be careful though. Not all VPNs are created equal. Some VPNs will only provide you with old and slow servers that were detected, and blocked, by Australian TV websites a long time ago.
If you want a VPN that provides you with a reliable connection to Aussie TV sites, we recommend NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month). These VPN providers have fast servers all around the world and are compatible with most Australian TV channels.
It is important to know that if the channel you are trying to watch has a subscription fee, you will still need to pay for the service no matter where you are.
If you already have an account for a subscription-based Australian TV channel or you are trying to watch free to air channels like ABC iView, SBS on Demand, 7plus, 9now and Ten Play, the process is simple. All you have to do is follow the steps below, and you’ll be able to watch Australian TV in the UK.
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Create a new account with NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month)
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Download and install the new VPN app
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Select an Australian server
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Create an account for the channel
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Watch Australian TV in the UK
Why can’t I watch Australian TV in the UK?
You run into errors when trying to stream Australian TV in the UK because of copyright and licensing issues.
Most, if not all, Australian TV channels only have the rights to be broadcast inside Australian borders; they do not have the rights to broadcast their content internationally. This is the same for their online streaming platforms.
To avoid potential copyright issues, Australian TV channels block users from accessing their content outside of Australia. They do this using geo-blocking technology which identifies your location and blocks you if you aren’t inside the channels broadcast zone, in this case, Australia.
How do Australian streaming services know I’m not in Australia?
The way Australian streaming services identify your location is all to do with your IP address.
Whenever you connect to the internet, your device is assigned a unique IP address. An IP address is the internet equivalent of an area code on a phone number.
When you connect to a website or online service, your IP address is sent to that service’s servers, and it contains information about your device and your location.
For example, if you go to ABC iView, your IP address will be sent to ABC iView’s servers. This is readable by ABC iView, and it contains information about your location. As soon as the Australian streaming service sees you aren’t in its broadcast zone, it will block your connection.
This is why you need a VPN to watch Australian TV in the UK.
What is a VPN?
A VPN (virtual private network) is a service that creates an encrypted online connection. VPNs then reroute your device’s encrypted data through their own servers (you can select the location). This makes it appear as if your internet connection is no longer coming from your device – rather, it’s coming from the VPN server in a location of your choosing.
To watch Australian TV in the UK, all you need to do is connect to a VPN server in Australia. Your internet traffic will be rerouted through an Australian IP address and this will fool the channel you are trying to watch into thinking you are trying to view the service from within Australian borders.
The best VPNs have servers all over the world. They also provide fast and reliable Australian servers so you can consistently watch Australian TV in the UK. We recommend NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month)
Do Australian streaming services block VPNs?
The quick answer is yes. Sort of. However, they don’t have the capacity to block an entire VPN service, only the IP addresses the VPN provides.
Australian TV channels block IP addresses provided by VPNs using three main methods.
- Streaming services constantly monitor for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks. This test is basic. But cheaper VPNs will fail it, meaning your connection isn’t fully secure and will be blacklisted. Good VPNs such as NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) will not fail this basic test.
- There are GeoIP databases that collect IP information and verify the IP address you are connecting from. If your VPN is using an IP address that is in one of these databases, you won’t be able to stream Australian TV in the UK.
- Australian streaming services make their own IP checks. If the channel detects a large number of connections coming from the same IP address at the same time, they know that that is an IP address provided by a VPN, and they will blacklist that IP address.
How do I get around Australian TV channels blocking my VPN?
It’s very simple; you need a good VPN provider that stays one step ahead of the checks.
A good VPN like NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) will play a game of Cat and Mouse with Australian TV streaming services. When the channel blacklists an IP address, the best VPNs like NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) will close that IP address and open a new one. This means you will be able to consistently watch your favourite Australian TV in the UK without needing to worry about your service being blacklisted.
Below is a list of all the best VPNs to watch Australian TV in the UK. They all play cat and mouse with streaming services, and they all have fast, reliable Australian servers to use.
