If you’re trying to watch American Idol in the UK, unfortunately no UK-based streaming services own the rights to the show. You’ll have to wait until it’s released on TV and there’s no telling how long that will take, if at all.
The good news is you can watch every episode of American Idol from the comfort of your UK home, right now.
All you need to do is gain access to the US-based streaming service, Hulu. And to do that you need a fast, reliable VPN.
This article will explain how to watch American Idol in the UK using a VPN.
See also:
- How to watch Hulu in the UK: The EASY way! (June 2022)
- How to watch Fox in the UK: The EASY way! (June 2022)
How to watch American Idol in the UK: Quick Guide
To watch American Idol in the UK, you need a VPN that is compatible with the US-streaming service, Hulu.
Hulu is based in the US and in order to unblock its content in the UK, you need a VPN that provides reliable US servers.
To get one, follow these simple steps below:
Create a new account with ExpressVPN ($6.67/month)
Download and install the new VPN app
Open your VPN and connect to a US server
Go to hulu.com
If you don’t have a Hulu account, create an account (more on this below)
Start streaming American Idol in the UK
How to create a Hulu account in the UK
If you try and access Hulu wihtout a VPN, you’ll come across errors and won’t be able to play any content. You won’t be able to create an account either.
After downloading ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.49/month) and connecting to a US server, you’ll no longer come across these errors. But simply connecting to a US-server won’t give you access to Hulu, you’ll need to create a Hulu account.
Recently Hulu has started using a second layer of security by only allowing payments for an Hulu subscription from a US credit card or PayPal account. There’s a few ways you can get around this:
- You can ask a friend or family member in the US to create a Hulu account for you
- You can use an American Express card
- You can purchase an Hulu gift card from mygiftcardsupply.com and create an account from anywhere in the world. (Mygiftcardsupply is a trusted and reliable website where you can purchase a variety of gift cards from anywhere in the world.)
If you already have a US credit card, you can easily make a Hulu account however, this isn’t an option for most people. The easiest way to create a Hulu account in the UK is using gift cards. Follow these steps below to create an Hulu account using gift cards in the UK.
- Go to mygiftcardsupply.com
- Search for Hulu cards
- Choose between a USD$25, USD$30, USD$50 gift card (note that standard Hulu costs USD$14.99/month)
- Select if you want to make a one-off purchase or a repeat purchase every few months
- Proceed to checkout and confirm your purchase with your email address
- You’ll receive an email with a link. Click on that link, and that will give you access to your Hulu gift card
- Connect to a US server on ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.49/month)
- Create an account at www.hulu.com
- Go to Redeem a Gift Card | Hulu and enter the 10 or 12 digit code from the back of your gift card.
- Choose your State or Territory, enter your ZIP Code (you can do this by googling) and then choose Continue.
- Click I have an account: Choose the Sign in link. Enter your account email and password. Then, choose Sign In and Redeem
- Return to www.hulu.com
- Enjoy watching Hulu in the UK
Why isn’t Hulu available in the UK?
Like other streaming services such as Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+ and Amazon Prime, Hulu tries to block anyone outside of the US from viewing its content. The reason it does this is because of content licensing.
To comply with the content licensing agreements it has with its partners, Hulu only allows users inside the US to watch its content.
Hulu does not have the rights to broadcast its content in the UK. If you’re in the UK and trying to watch Hulu, it will block your connection.
Hulu does this using geo-blocking technology. The streaming service is able to identify your location when you connect to its service. If you are connecting from outside of Hulu’s broadcasting zone (the US) you can guarantee that you’ll be blocked.

How do I get around Hulu’s geo-blocks?
Hulu’s geo-blocking technology works by scanning your IP address. Whenever you connect to the internet, your device is given a unique IP address.
Your IP address (like the area code on a landline phone) contains specific information about your location. Hulu can scan this IP address and determine whether you are in the US or not. If it finds you aren’t in the US, it blocks you from accessing its content.
To get around these geo-blocks you need to change your IP address to one that is based in the US. Good VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.49/month) allow you to do this.
How do VPNs work?
A VPN allows you to hide where you are located when you connect to the internet. It does this using a massive network of servers and encrypting your information.
VPNs reroute your internet connection through their own servers. When this happens the VPN encrypts your data and sends it to an IP address in a location of your choosing.
Once your data reaches your chosen server, it is unencrypted and sent to a local internet service provider.
This process allows you to achieve an anonymous internet connection a well as allowing you to browse the web from a virtual location of your choice.
The VPN can make Hulu think you are connecting to its service from within the US. This will allow you to watch Hulu from anywhere in the world.

Will any VPN work?
VPNs are now very popular and they’re a big market. As with anything this popular there has been an influx of both good and bad VPN providers.
Good VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.49/month) will work with Hulu, bad ones will run into issues.
These issues occur because Hulu attempts to block VPNs. It does this by monitoring for abnormal amounts of connections coming from the same IP address.
VPNs especially free VPNs, usually have more customers than IP addresses. Because of this, users are forced to share IPs provided by those VPNs. This makes it easy for Hulu because there will be an abnormal amount of traffic connecting to its service from the same IP address. When this happens Hulu blacklists that IP address.
Bad VPNs don’t have measures in place to get around these checks. Fortunately, the best VPNs do.
In order to reliably watch Hulu in the UK, you need a VPN that stays one step ahead of Hulu’s blocks. You need a VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.49/month). These VPN providers play a cat and mouse game with Hulu.
When an IP address provided by these VPNs is blacklisted by Hulu, good VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.49/month) will close it and open a new one. This is how they keep one step ahead of Hulu and it allows you to reliably stream American Idol in the UK.
The best VPNs to stream American Idol in the UK
1. ExpressVPN
The fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2022

Pros
- Fast servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- 10-simultaneous connections
- 24/7 Live Chat
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Easy-to-use app
Cons
- Expensive
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2. NordVPN
A very quick and trustworthy VPN

Pro
- Fast servers
- No logs
- Thousands of IP addresses
- 6-simultaneous connections
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Easy-to-use app
Cons
- No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
SPECIAL OFFER – $3.49/month
3. Ivacy
The great low-cost VPN option

Pros
- Fast servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- Dedicated streaming servers
- 5-simultaneous connections
- 24/7 Live Chat
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Only 5 devices
- Sometimes runs slow
- Occasionally blocked by streaming sites
SPECIAL OFFER: 7-DAY TRIAL ($0.99)
4. Private Internet Access
The BEST mid-range VPN for streaming!
Pros
- Fast and reliable servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- 10-simultaneous connections
- 24/7 Live Chat
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Only 48 server locations
SPECIAL OFFER – SAVE 82%!
30-day money-back guarantee
5. CyberGhost

Pros
- 1-day free trial
- Reliable servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- 7-simultaneous connections
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Easy-to-use app
Cons
- Expensive
- Average speed scores
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
30-day money-back guarantee