How to Watch ITVX and BBC iPlayer in France – All UK TV Channels
This is a post for all those people in France who are wondering how they can enjoy British TV channels using the internet. As you may have realized, the majority of British TV stations broadcast online but restrict access to those located in the UK. Many of us discover this restriction in France when we try and do something like watch BBC iPlayer or connect to ITVX. The short solution is to use a VPN service that hides your location, be careful to use one that is not blocked by the BBC though – we use NordVPN which works well. bbc iplayer in france
Plenty of French TV Stations
French TV is great, there’s decent selection of home-grown programmes and they do import some of the best shows from the UK and USA. Many of these are dubbed into French which doesn’t always work. Indeed, there’s been some controversy about French TV with many suggesting that more programmes should be broadcast in English without dubbing.
Some people in the educational sector have suggested that this would help French students learn English more easily. Despite France being quite aggressive in their defense of the French language it is well appreciated how important learning English is in an era of a global workplace. So, lots of French especially younger people actively search out English TV channels in Paris and France in general.
One thing for sure, if you want to enjoy French TV currently then speaking a little French would be very useful. However, there are options for anyone with poor French, or who just simply prefers TV from a different source, e.g., UK Television.
British TV Channels are Available Online
Many people in France though enjoy watching American and UK television by using the internet to stream it directly. Most major broadcasters across the globe will stream a large majority of their programmes online. In the UK for example virtually everything is broadcast over the airwaves and on the internet simultaneously. Indeed, most is also archived online via sites like BBC iPlayer.
However unfortunately if you just try and watch anything online from outside the UK, you’ll initially get blocked. If you read on though you can discover how to bypass this and watch UK TV online from France too.
How to Watch British TV in Paris, France
So if you’re in Paris or anywhere in France you’re going to be subject to something called geo-targeting. This technology is fairly recent and determines where you’re physically located and then either modifies or blocks the content you can access. In some cases, this simply directs you to the matching language version but in a lot of cases you’ll just be blocked. This is what happens with anyone trying to watch UK TV from France (or indeed anywhere outside the UK).
It’s Your IP Address that’s the Problem
There is only one barrier to stopping you watching the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 online from France and that’s the nationality of your IP address. Yep, the unique network number that everyone has to get online actually has its own nationality. It’s based on where that address is registered to which determines this. Basically, it’s assigned to its physical location, so if you’re in France you’ll have a French address, Spain a Spanish address and so on. 
Unfortunately, many websites use this to lock down their content so it only can be accessed from their domestic market. So if you try and access the BBC iPlayer from a computer with an IP address from anywhere but the UK then it won’t work. Same goes for all the other UK TV stations too, although it should be noted that the same thing will happen if you try and access a French TV station from outside France too
Hide your IP to Watch the BBC in France
Here’s the solution – it’s really quite straight forward.
We use NordVPN as it’s cheap and reliable.
Watch Any Streaming Service in Any Country
So what’s actually happening here? Well it’s quite simple, because all the UK television station online will block access from French IP addresses then we need to change our IP address location. It’s not possible to change our IP addresses directly but it is possible to hide our real address and present another one instead.
By connecting to a VPN server in a different country, we can effectively switch our online nationality. The target website will only see the address of the VPN server, not your actual location meaning that you can switch ‘your digital location’ at will. Simply pick the right country and you’ll never be blocked again. For the BBC and ITV etc then just select a UK server and your address will appear to be in the UK too. It doesn’t matter where you really are, the VPN will allow you to watch UK only channels from anywhere like France, Spain or Africa !
Pick the Right VPN Plan and You Can Watch British TV Online from Anywhere
There are literally millions of people using this method from all across the world to access TV stations that would normally block to them. There’s no doubt that the BBC iPlayer is one of the most popular and therefore it’s essential that any VPN service you choose has a lot of fast UK based UK servers as they’ll be extremely popular.
Beware many of the very cheapest services don’t work with the BBC anymore as they get blocked. In 2019 the BBC started to identify VPN services by monitoring inbound connections – this was incredibly effective. Now the majority of VPN services don’t work with ITV Hub and BBC iPlayer and to a lesser extent Channel 4 and 5. The days of picking any VPN service with a UK server to watch the BBC iPlayer are long gone. Ensure you check that your VPN service will work with the BBC.
Not Just British TV – There’s TV Channels All Over the World
Also don’t just stick with UK servers though, the best services allow access to lots of different countries. Try US servers for loads of US restricted online services like HBO, Hulu and Amazon Prime too. For English speakers there’s great TV stations in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland to enjoy too – all have large TV broadcasters streaming their shows online. There are also some decent options in countries like India and the Far East too where programmes are quite often in English with subtitles in the native languages.
Remember Just Connect to a VPN in the Country you need
If you can speak different languages, then you’ve got even more choice. Almost every developed country will have some large media stations online. It’s also a great way to help learn a language, I’m learning German and it’s a great help to watch German TV occasionally.
Preferred VPN Solution for the BBC – NordVPN
If you want a suggestion, to watch UK TV in France then here’s a link to one of the largest VPN services on the internet which was demonstrated in the above video. It’s been around for many years and maintains a huge network of UK based servers to support accessing British TV. What makes it special for watching UK Television is that it has a segment of servers all optimized to access BBC iPlayer.
Although it has hundreds of British based VPN servers it actively monitors some to ensure that they work with the BBC. If you do try out NordVPN you should use one of the following servers if you’re intending to watch any British TV station – UK# 1840-1847, 1850-1863, 1865, 1869, 1873, 1875-1878, 1880-1881, 1900-1901, 1903-1904, 1911, 1913, 1917, 1919-1920.
NordVPN Latest Discounts
Additional FAQ – Watching British TV in France
This post was written many years ago and updated in 2022. However during that time we’ve received lots of questions and comments regarding accessing BBC and other UK television stations from France. We’ll add popular questions here in case they are of help.
Do I Need an account on BBC iPlayer/ITV Hub ?
As of 2024, you will need to create separate accounts to watch both ITV Hub (Now ITVX) and BBC iPlayer. The other channels currently let you watch without an account, but this could change at any minute. The accounts are free, and you can register for them using any email address. Just remember to connect to your UK VPN before you register – here are the links you’ll need –
BBC iPlayer registration – https://account.bbc.com/register
ITVX Registration – Sign up – ITV Hub
Do I Need a UK TV Licence to watch these Streaming Sites from France?
If you are resident in the UK then you definitely need to buy a UK TV licence to watch the BBC in any form. However, if you’re based outside the UK then it’s a little difficult as you cannot actually buy one. You will be asked by the BBC iPlayer site if you have a UK TV licence however there’s no check beyond this.
You must say I have a UK TV licence or BBC iPlayer won’t work irrespective of your location.
Do I Need a UK Address to watch the BBC or ITV?
When you create an account on BBC or ITV’s web site for the first time you will be asked to input a UK post code. However as long as you input a valid one from the UK then there will be no problem. Just grab any valid UK code from any address online or grab one from this page here.
So How to Watch British TV in France?
All you need to do is to sign up to a decent VPN like NordVPN and connect to a UK server. Then create an account and login as normal, everything will work fine and you can watch BBC in France and all the other UK TV channels like ITV wherever you are.
Can I Watch Premium Channels like Sky, Now TV etc using a VPN?
Most of the UK’s biggest premium channels like Sky GO are also restricted outside the UK. A VPN will allow you access from France too, so you can watch things like the Premiership from Sky. Remember though you still need a valid subscription to watch. If you want to subscribe from France, you’ll also need a valid form of UK Payment too because they check this.
Do VPNs Work on All Streaming Devices?
You can certainly use a VPN on any computer or laptop. However, if you want to install on other devices it depends on whether the VPN supports them. Most VPNs can be installed on smartphones and tablets although some require you set them up manually. If you want to install on a games console or smart TV, then make sure that your VPN supports something called SmartDNS.
Can you Watch UK TV in France Online Free of Charge?
If you set up a VPN connection to a UK resident with a VPN server set up then this will work too. However you will be using that connection heavily so it needs to be yours or somebody that doesn’t mind! If you just need something for a short holiday then these guys offer a free trial at time of writing (January 2024) – SmartDNS Proxy. It only works for 14 days though and then you have to subscribe but might be enough for many people.