BBC has recently put on their gloves and gotten into the ring to start their fight against VPN and SmartDNS services. For a long time one could use any VPN and SmartDNS provider to access BBC iPlayer from abroad, but that this has come to an end.
We have known for a long time that change is coming to BBC iPlayer. One major change is that they will soon launch their BBC iPlayer with a paid subscription option. We do not know for sure if this is supposed to be a solution for internationals who want to get access to BBC or for people in the UK without an actual BBC subscription. But, we at least know that a new version of the BBC iPlayer is about to be released.
Watching BBC iPlayer using a VPN or SmartDNS
BBC iPlayer has been a perfect place to watch and access free BBC shows and content online. While similar services such as CBS All Access in the US and HULU require you to have a subscription, one could freely get access to all BBC content for free on the BBC website. It has worked in a perfect way until recently as BBC walked into the footsteps of Netflix. As a result they have manually started blocking IP addresses used by VPN providers, and thus you will receive an error message looking something like this as you try to access BBC from abroad.
They seem to have done their job properly, because lots of VPN providers like for example HIdeMyAss seems to have all their servers and IP addresses in the UK blocked by BBC iPlayer. We also tried to visit BBC iPlayer using a small and little known VPN provider like Buffered VPN, and their server in the UK was blocked as well. We tried several other VPN providers as well, and of course we manage to find some solutions still working. But, one should not forget that BBC will most likely update their IP blocks regularly, meaning that new IP addresses will be blocked all the time. So, a solution that will give you access to BBC from abroad today might not work tomorrow.
How can I watch BBC from abroad now?
We have just updated our article on how to watch BBC from abroad, so if you want the latest news on VPN services that still work for the purpose of watching BBC outside the UK, read that article.
But, to keep our article on accessing BBC from abroad up to date we also need your help. Please write comments in that article if you have problems using the methods we have described, or if you know of other VPN services or SmartDNS providers that will give you access to BBC, even after the major IP blocks created by BBC.
When did BBC implement these regulations?
Most of these regulations were implemented or initiated just in front of the Summer Olympics. With BBC having the rights to broadcast both the Euro 2016 and the Summer Olympics this summer the interest for their services reached the sky. Of course this was not only true for people in the UK; but also for people abroad. That is why they have used quite a lot of time and energy throughout the summer at finding VPN providers and SmartDNS provider to track down the IP addresses in used them by, for so to block them.
Read to find out more about how you can still access BBC from abroad? Read the article and we will tell you how!
Have you got any further questions or comments related to the VPN and SmartDNS blocks created by BBC, or something else related to the subject? Use the comment field beneath and let us hear your voice!
