Born through a joint venture between the BBC and ITV, BritBox is an online streaming service that lets you watch British TV series from the US or Canada. Our guide reveals how to watch BritBox abroad (outside USA and Canada).
BritBox, which is a pay-monthly service, hosts episodes from hundreds of popular British TV shows, including Coronation Street, Jonathan Creek and Poirot. By partnering up with one of our trusted VPNs, you can watch BritBox from anywhere in the world.
Below, we’ve got all the juicy details on how to watch BritBox abroad. With a VPN installed on your home network, you can browse the web anonymously and unlock geo-restricted websites in minutes.
How to watch BritBox abroad: Quick guide
- Get ExpressVPN (£5.13/month)
- With your VPN, connect to a server based in the US or Canada
- Sign up for a BritBox account (you can start with a 7-day trial) and log in to the website
- Watch BritBox from anywhere in the world
See also: The best VPNs for Smart TVs in 2019
What is BritBox?
BritBox is a popular, on-demand streaming service that lets TV addicts catch up with British shows outside of the UK. By default, the website is locked so only users in the US and Canada can enjoy it.
Logging into BritBox will throw hundreds of unique British TV shows in front of you – BritBox prides itself on a mixture of classics and modern box sets. BritBox streaming is supported on desktop, smartphones, tablets, streaming sticks, Apple TV and Roku.
To get started with BritBox you’ll obviously need an internet connection, but you don’t need to worry about a cable or satellite subscription.
The BritBox library varies depending on whether you’re watching from the US or Canada. A guide on the BritBox website explains: “BritBox needs to secure proper licenses for our content and unfortunately in some cases these licenses are granted for different windows in different territories.”
But remember, if you have a VPN installed on your computer, you can switch between US and Canadian servers until you find the show you’re interested in.
Can I watch BritBox in the UK?
Without a VPN, you have no way of accessing BritBox in the UK. A message on the website confirms: “BritBox is currently available in the U.S. and Canada only.” That’s frustrating news if you’re abroad and want to catch up with your favourite series.
BritBox is usually locked to viewers based in the UK, but a VPN will let you unlock its entire streaming library
Although BritBox is usually locked for users outside of the US and Canada, a VPN will let you spoof your location and treat you to full access. As the BritBox website will assume you’re based in the US or Canada, you’ll be able to stream anything from its library.
How to watch BritBox abroad
Before you can laze in the living room in front of some British TV, you’ll need to pick a VPN to disguise your location. Choose from four of our favourites:
Armed with a VPN that lets you browse the web anonymously, the next steps are simple:
- Download and install the app for the VPN you’ve signed up for
- Connect to a server based in the US or Canada
- Open the BritBox website
- Log in to your BritBox account (7-day trial or paid-for subscription)
- Watch BritBox from anywhere in the world
How much does BritBox cost?
If you’re convinced by BritBox, you can sign up right away for a 7-day free trial. In that time, you’ll have access to the full catalogue of shows.
When that trial period expires, you’ll have to part with $6.99 USD / $8.99 CAD to stay online.
An annual subscription is $69.99 USD, or $89.99 CAD. After crunching the numbers, you’ll see an annual subscription works out being cheaper compared to paying the standard monthly fee 12 times in a row.
The best VPNs for BritBox
1. ExpressVPN
Price: £5.13/month
You can completely trust ExpressVPN to help you log in to BritBox outside of the US and Canada. There’s a reason this paid-for VPN is so popular – it’ll keep your IP address hidden from your ISP and other websites at all times. In other words, you’ll have no problems running BritBox from a country that isn’t officially supported.
At last count, ExpressVPN has stable, secure servers in over 150 locations around the world. Depending on the website you’re trying to access, you can piggyback off servers based in 94 different countries. ExpressVPN will never keep a record of your traffic data and web history – we can’t say the same for your ISP.
A network kill switch built into ExpressVPN will keep you anonymous even if your connection to BritBox drops without warning. If you need technical support, you can drop a message to ExpressVPN’s team of live chat experts, available 24/7.
By signing up with ExpressVPN today, you’ll be able to access BritBox on your desktop, smartphone or tablet. Click our buying link to get started.
Click here to get ExpressVPN for £5.13/month
2. Ivacy
Price: £1.02/month
Ivacy has plenty of servers in both the US and Canada, so you’ll be able to catch up with BritBox shows wherever you’re browsing from.
Once you’ve signed up for an Ivacy subscription, all you need to do is download the official app on your PC or smartphone. After that, you pick an Ivacy server to connect to and you’re all set.
Every Ivacy user is able to protect up to five different devices under a single licence. That means you can browse the BritBox library anonymously whether you’re relaxing at home or looking for shows to watch while travelling.
Like all good VPNs, Ivacy has a very strict ‘no logs’ policy in place. The brand will never keep a record of how you’re using its servers, the websites you’re visiting and the files you’re downloading. If you risk using a free VPN as an alternative, your sensitive information could be handed over to shady third parties.
BritBox aside, Ivacy also works with Netflix, Amazon Prime and BBC iPlayer. This VPN’s real-time threat detection will warn you if you’re downloading a potentially malware-ridden file.
Click here to get Ivacy for £1.02/month
3. NordVPN
Price: £3.04/month
NordVPN will effectively spoof your location so the BritBox website thinks you’re browsing from within the US or Canada. It boasts thousands of servers around the world, letting you surf the web without having to worry about your data being nabbed.
Each and every one of NordVPN’s servers are protected by military-grade encryption. Even if you’re browsing BritBox through a public WiFi hotspot, you’ll be fully protected.
Unlike some other VPNs, NordVPN won’t put a limit on how much you can stream or download while connected to its servers. You also have an extra layer of protection in the form of CyberSec, a handy feature that blocks websites known to share malware.
If you run into technical problems trying to configure NordVPN for the first time, you’ll be able to contact the 24/7 live chat team. NordVPN’s experts are always happy to help. Sign up today and see what all the fuss is about.
Click here to get NordVPN for £3.04/month
4. PureVPN
Price: £2.49/month
PureVPN is going from strength to strength, with over 3 million people signed up to the service.
If you opt for PureVPN today, you’ll have hundreds of high-speed servers around the world at your fingertips. This is another fantastic option for streaming BritBox abroad.
All PureVPN members are able to switch between servers as often as possible. You might want to switch from a US server for BritBox to an alternative server for Netflix, for example. A licence also lets you use up to 5 devices simultaneously.
PureVPN runs effortlessly on desktop and supports other devices including streaming sticks. The Google Chromecast stick is compatible with PureVPN, giving you direct access to all of the user benefits from your Smart TV.
By signing into the PureVPN smartphone app, you can sort the brand’s server by location or streaming service.
Click here to get PureVPN for £2.49/month
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