Does NordVPN Work With BBC iPlayer in 2020?

If you are in a hurry and just want to find out if NordVPN works with BBC iPlayer, then the answer is YES. Dont forgot to take advantage of our NordVPN limited time offer here.

Many people love British TV series like Sherlock and Doctor Who, and want to watch them as soon as new episodes are released. UK residents are lucky in that respect – they can just turn on BBC iPlayer and enjoy the shows.

Those outside the UK like me, however, have to use VPN services to access the episodes because thats the only way to get a UK IP address if you dont live there.

So, when I wanted to watch BBCs newest masterpiece “The Capture”, I activated my NordVPN subscription to see whether I could bypass the geo-restrictions.

Lets take a look at the results.

Does NordVPN Work With BBC iPlayer?

Technically, BBC iPlayer only works in the UK and has been known to blacklist certain IP addresses if it detects that youre using a VPN.

This is due to rights issues.

However, the BBC only blocks the IP, not the actual VPN.

With the right configurations, NordVPN can be used to access BBC iPlayers content, even if youre outside the UK. Accessing the content is possible if you have a UK IP address, which NordVPN can provide you with.

Can NordVPN Unblock BBC iPlayer?

NordVPN service can unblock BBC iPlayers content.

However, there is more to accessing the content than just using a VPN.

TV License

According to UK laws, you need to have a TV license to watch television or stream TV shows. This license costs about £155 per year.

If youre from the UK and already have a TV license, but are currently traveling outside the UK, you can just log in onto your BBC account when connected to NordVPN.

If you dont have a license, you need to create an account whilst connected to NordVPN.

This is how I managed to configure my NordVPN to enjoy the BBC iPlayer content when traveling.

How to Watch BBC iPlayer Abroad with NordVPN?

First of all, you need to connect to a United Kingdom server.

I should point out that the further you are from the UK, the slower the connection speed is likely to be. I did have to endure some buffering before the episode loaded properly.

Second of all, I was able to speed up the buffering by switching my NordVPN protocols. You can do this by logging onto your NordVPN account, opening Settings on the start page and clicking on “Advanced”.

You will see this:

As I have already mentioned in my previous “Does NordVPN Work With Amazon Fire TV Stick?” article, although NordVPN recommends to use UDP (see screenshot above), TCP has really sped up the buffering. TCP is a network layer connection-oriented protocol, which allows for data packets to be transmitted between your device and the server.

It numbers each data packet, which makes it reliable by design.

UDP, on the other hand, doesnt have any overhead of the sort and doesnt check for errors.

Its speed is good for live transmissions and gaming, but not for streaming.

TCPUDP
ReliabilityHighLower
SpeedLowerHigh
Transfer methodPackets are delivered in a sequencePackets are delivered in a stream
Error detection and correctionYesYes
Congestion controlYesNo
AcknowledgementYesOnly the checksum

It doesnt emphasise reliability, like TCP. Thats why a TCP connection took less time to buffer – it was error-free. For that reason, I recommend using the TCP protocol when watching iPlayer with NordVPN. Both protocols are equally secure, and you get the same no-logs service NordVPN offers in both cases.

If you want to watch BBC iPlayers content later, NordVPN has dedicated servers that allow you to use the Download feature.

Unfortunately, this feature doesnt work on iOS devices.

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NordVPN BBC iPlayer Not Working

Have you done all of the above, but the BBC is nonetheless blocking you from enjoying its content?

You can try to do the following:

Switch between UK servers. BBC couldve blocked the IP that youre using, but fortunately, NordVPN has over 5500 servers in 59 countries. 589 of these servers are in the UK. I got lucky on the third UK IP address NordVPN has provided me with.

If switching around doesnt work, NordVPN Dedicated IP feature could help. It provides you with a static IP, which is harder for the BBC to flag than an IP thats already in use by several other nodes;

If neither of the above works, try cleaning your browser history. If youve previously accessed the BBC iPlayer website, it was recorded as a cookie and the server could recognize your IP from those cookies. By cleaning your cache, you stop feeding the server that information;

If that didnt work either, your VPN might have suffered a DNS leak – a vulnerability that exposes your DNS requests to ISPs, even though youre using a VPN to prevent just that. You can check whether you have a DNS leak. If youre connected to a UK server through a VPN, but the results show that youre outside the UK, your VPN has suffered a DNS leak. You can contact NordVPNs 24/7 Live Chat Support to resolve this issue.

FAQ

How Do I Watch BBC iPlayer With NordVPN?

Watching BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world with NordVPN is easy. You just need to download and set up NordVPN and connect to a UK server. For better streaming speed, choose a TPC connection in the Advanced settings menu on the VPN client.

Why Does BBC iPlayer Not Work With VPN?

There might be several reasons why BBC iPlayer does not work with your VPN. Usually, its because of browser cookies, a blocked IP address, or something more serious as a DNS leak.

Can BBC iPlayer Detect VPN?

BBC iPlayer uses strong IP detection tools that can detect and blacklist most VPNs. Your best chance of unblocking it is to use an advanced VPN with many servers and IP addresses, like NordVPN.

Is NordVPN Reliable?

Yes, NordVPN is a reliable choice. It provides you with the necessary privacy and security while enabling you with excellent server speeds and stable connection.

Conclusion – Can NordVPN Work with BBC iPlayer?

NordVPN can be used to access BBC iPlayer, even if youre not in the UK.

You can even access Roku with NordVPN!

While it takes a little effort to configure it, if done correctly, the service does allow you to enjoy the British TV when youre abroad. I will be using the service from now on when Im traveling to watch BBC iPlayer content.

The no-logs policy, combined with the large range of servers on offer and secure connections, make NordVPN my chosen provider for watching BBC iPlayer.

Get NordVPN today and tell us how it worked for YOU!

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