If (like me) you’re an ex-pat living in NZ, you probably miss watching BBC iPlayer. Well, don’t worry.
In this article, I’m going to show you the best way to seamlessly watch iPlayer, just as if you were back in Blighty. Here’s how to watch BBC iPlayer in New Zealand.
See also:
How to watch BBC iPlayer in NZ
The best way, to watch BBC iPlayer in New Zealand is use a VPN to spoof your IP address (to a UK one). Below, I’ll take you through what you need to look for when buying a VPN and some common mistakes to avoid.
Total Time: 7 minutes
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Get a VPN that works with BBC iPlayer
If you want to watch BBC iPlayer from New Zealand, you’re going to need to find a way to spoof your internet connection to make it appear (to the BBC iPlayer website) like you’re actually connecting from inside the UK. The best, and easiest, way to do this is to use a VPN.
I recommend using ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) for the best connection speeds and reliability
Note: Not all VPNs work with BBC iPlayer. This is because iPlayer has started blocking some services for abnormal usage reasons. Take a look at our BBC iPlayer detecting VPN article to find out more.
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Download and install VPN
The next step is straightforward. You need to download and install the VPN software on to your device.
If you’re using a PC or Mac you can simply download the VPN from the VPN websites. If you’re using a smartphone or tablet, you’ll have to download the VPNs from the Apple App Store, or Google Play Store.
Once you’ve installed the VPN onto your device, you’ll need to login with the same details you signed up with.
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Connect to a server in the UK
Now the VPN is installed on your device, the next thing you need to do open the app and connect to a server in the UK.
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Watch BBC iPlayer (…in NZ)
That’s it. All you need to do now is go to www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer – or open the BBC iPlayer app – and watch BBC iPlayer (from New Zealand).
You’ll need to have a BBC account to do this, but these are free and only take a few minutes to set up.
See also: How to get American Netflix in NZ (2021)
IP addresses: What you NEED to know
Your IP address is a lot like your physical address or landline telephone number. Even though you probably have no idea what your current IP address is – websites can use it to work out where you’re connecting to the internet from as your IP address is given to you from your local ISP.
Will any VPN work with BBC iPlayer?
Until recently, you could buy any old VPN and use it to connect to any server in the UK then start streaming BBC iPlayer immediately.
But since late in 2017, the BBC started to actively blacklist VPNs from using iPlayer. And the reason for this was fair enough. People from any country in the world could pay a VPN provider a couple dollars a month and gain unlimited access to BBC iPlayer. Hardly fair on the licence payers back home.
The BBC continues to blacklist and block VPNs to this day.
When you take a closer look at how the BBC blacklists VPNs you start to understand how you can work around the ban.
Does the BBC block VPNs?
Yes, the BBC blocks VPNs.
The way the Beeb blacklists a VPN is pretty simple. It now actively looks and blocks IP addresses that stream/download abnormal amounts of content from BBC iPlayer.
This is a problem for VPNs as they share a relatively small number of servers (and IP addresses) with thousands of customers.
At present, VPN servers are getting blacklisted (by the BBC) faster than they can create new servers. The end result is users of VPNs being unable to access BBC iPlayer on an increasingly regular basis. Any of you who have been using a VPN to watch BBC iPlayer will have experienced this (since late 2017).
See also: How to listen to TMS abroad.
Can I watch BBC iPlayer with a VPN?
The best way to combat this new strategy from the BBC is to buy a VPN that replaces its IP addresses as soon as they’re blacklisted.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) is the best for this with over 385 different servers in the UK. ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) also frequently changes its UK servers’ IP addresses – engaging in a game of Cat and Mouse with the BBC – to combat its blacklisting strategy.
I’ve been using ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) since April 2018 and have enjoyed access to BBC iPlayer, BT Sport, 4oD ITV Player and US Netflix with no buffering issues or other interruptions.
See also: The 6 Best VPNs for New Zealand.
The Best VPNs to watch BBC iPlayer in New Zealand
There are tons of VPNs that will *temporarily* unblock BBC iPlayer. When I first moved to New Zealand I thought I did my research properly and decided IPVanish was the best VPN for me in terms of price and functions.
And for the first few days, IPVanish unblocked BBC iPlayer for me reasonably well. Then, all of a sudden, it didn’t. I reached out to IPVanish’s support team and was told that it no longer supported unblocking BBC iPlayer as one of its features.
Below are five VPNs that have been able to beat BBC iPlayer’s VPN ban for the past several years.
Note: Take a look at our Which VPNs still work with BBC iPlayer article to find out more.
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
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Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.
Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.
The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.
With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
Check out our full ExpressVPN review.
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2. NordVPN 🥈
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 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 for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.
It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.
Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.
Read our NordVPN review.
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3. Private Internet Access
The BEST low-cost 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 for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
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4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for Ivacy and enjoy a 7-day trial with no strings attached
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.
The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.
For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.
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5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
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
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Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.
From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.
That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.
Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.
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Read next: How to listen to BBC Radio abroad.
Is watching BBC iPlayer with a VPN legal?
There are only a handful of countries (spot the authoritarianism link) where using a VPN is illegal; these are: China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, North Korea, Iraq, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Seychelles, Suriname, Namibia, Slovenia, Nicaragua and Tajikistan.
If you’re outside these countries and are using a VPN, you’re legally allowed to do so. However, it’s important to know that using a VPN with BBC iPlayer may breach the service’s terms of use.
In here it states: “You need to be covered by a TV Licence to watch or record live TV programmes on any channel, or to watch or download BBC programmes on iPlayer when you’re in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. If you’re outside these areas you need to check if your country has its own TV licensing scheme.”
What this means is if you’re accessing BBC iPlayer in a location that doesn’t have a TV licensing scheme with a VPN, then the BBC is within its rights to ban/block your connection or account.
However, with BBC iPlayer being a free streaming service that doesn’t require any sort of subscription, you aren’t obliged to accept a contractual agreement meaning there’s less restrictions when it comes to using a VPN with the streaming service.
This means, although BBC iPlayer will try and stop you from accessing its content with a VPN. It won’t ban your account for using one.
Also, BBC iPlayer has never banned anyone for using a VPN to access its service.
For more information you can check out our article answering Is streaming with a VPN legal?
