If you’re trying to watch Downtown Abbey on Netflix you may find it’s not available.
The reason for this is because Netflix in your country doesn’t have the rights to broadcast the TV show.
This can be frustrating because to stream Downtown Abbey in your country you may have to subscribe to a seperate streaming service. In the US for example, Downtown Abbey is only available on PBS’ platform, Passport.
Fortunately, there’s a simple way to watch Downtown Abbey on Netflix. All you need is a reliable VPN.
This article will explain how to watch Downtown Abbey on Netflix.
See also:
- How to watch The Office on Netflix: It’s EASY! (2023)
- How to watch Harry Potter on Netflix: The EASY way! (2023)
How to watch Downtown Abbey on Netflix: Quick Guide
At the moment, there’s only eleven countries where Netflix has the rights to broadcast Downtown Abbey. (See below)
To watch Downtown Abbey on Netflix, you need to gain access to one of these Netflix libraries. This sounds complicated, however a reliable VPN makes it easy. Simply follow these simple steps:
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Create a new account with ExpressVPN ($6.67/month).
-
Download and install the new VPN app on your device
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Select a server based in one of the countries below
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Open Netflix
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Watch Downtown Abbey on Netflix
Countries where Downtown Abbey is available on Netflix
Below is a list of countries that have the rights to broadcast Downtown Abbey on Netflix:
- Belgium
- France
- Canada
- Germany
- Iceland
- Netherlands
- Russia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- The UK
Why isn’t Downtown Abbey on Netflix?
Downtown Abbey isn’t on your Netflix library because Netflix in your country doesn’t have the rights to broadcast the show.
Although Netflix, as a platform, is available all over the world, the content it broadcasts varies from country to country.
Just because Netflix has the rights to broadcast a show in one location, it doesn’t mean it has the rights to broadcast it all over the world. The easiest way to understand this is to think of Netflix in different countries as separate streaming services.
To use the US as an example, Downtown Abbey is broadcast on PBS’ streaming service Passport.
Fortunately, Netflix has the rights to broadcast Downtown Abbey in other countries. This means you don’t have to subscribe to another streaming service on top of Netflix to stream Downtown Abbey, all you need is a VPN.
Why is my Netflix library different to other countries?
When you go online, you’re given a unique IP address. This is a bit of code that’s used to ensure your device can communicate with Netflix.
The problem with this is in order for this communication to work, your IP address contains information about your location.
When you connect to Netflix it scans your IP address to determine where you’re located. Once Netflix determines where you are, it provides you with the Netflix library from that particular country.
If you’re in the US, Netflix will know this and will provide you with the US Netflix library, which doesn’t have Downtown Abbey. All you need to do to watch Downtown Abbey on Netflix is change your IP address. A VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) makes that simple.
How can I change Netflix location?
To gain access to Netflix libraries in other countries, you need to make Netflix think you’re accessing its service from within those particular countries.
To do that, you need to change your IP address.
All you need to do is download ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) on your chosen device, click on a country from the list above and you’ll be given an IP address based in that country. (We advise you select a country that’s close to where you live. The closer you are to a server, the better your connection will be.)
Now when you connect to Netflix, you’ll have access to the Netflix library in that country and you’ll be able to watch Downtown Abbey on Netflix.
Will any VPN work?
Netflix has strict requirements in regard to where it can broadcast certain content, and because of this it tries to block VPNs.
It does this using three main techniques:
- The most common technique is to do with the IP addresses that your VPN can provide. VPN providers have more customers than IP addresses; this means that customers are forced to share the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When Netflix sees hundreds or even thousands of connections coming through on the same IP address, it knows that it is a VPN and it blocks it.
- Netflix monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- Netflix teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, Netflix will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from and it will block you.
If Netflix didn’t try and block VPNs it could be fined by TV and movie rights holding companies.
Which VPNs work with Netflix?
For lesser VPNs especially free VPNs, the blocking techniques explained above can be very difficult to get around. This can be annoying because it may mean you waste your money on a VPN that doesn’t work with Netflix.
The good news is ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) work very well with Netflix.
Both of these VPNs have lots of IP addresses, so you won’t end up sharing with other customers, and most importantly, although unlikely, if an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) gets identified and blocked by Netflix, these VPNs will close that IP address and open a new one so you can watch Downtown Abbey on Netflix anywhere in the world reliably.
The best VPNs to watch Downtown Abbey on Netflix
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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