If you’re running into the error stating “this service is unavailable in your region” when trying to access Peacock in the UK. Don’t fear. There’s an easy way to get around this issue.
The reason you’re coming across this error is because Peacock is only available in the US. However, there’s a very simple way to stream Peacock in the UK.
All you need to do is get a US IP address, and the best and easiest way to do that is with a reliable VPN.
This article will explain how to get a reliable VPN that will allow you to watch Peacock in the UK or anywhere in the world.
See also:
- Peacock not working with VPN? How to fix!
- How to watch Match of The Day abroad? (Stream MOTD outside UK)
- BBC iPlayer not working with VPN? Here’s how I FIXED that!
How to watch Peacock in the UK: Quick Guide
To watch Peacock in the UK, you need a US IP address. This sounds complicated, but a VPN makes the process very simple.
All you need to do is follow these easy steps, and you’ll no longer run into the “this service is unavailable in your region” error when connecting to Peacock.
Total Time: 2 minutes
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Create a new account with ExpressVPN ($6.67/month)
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Download and install the new VPN app
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Select a server in the US
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Create an account with Peacock (more on this below)
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Watch Peacock in the UK
How to create a Peacock account in the UK
To create an account with Peacock, you need to use an address that is based in the US.
This is easy. All you need to do is Google US addresses and select one. Now you can use this information to make an account with Peacock.
You will need to use a VPN that has localised servers. If you decide on an address in New York, you’ll need to use a VPN that has specific, New York-based servers.
Not all VPNs have this feature. ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) do allow you to select localised servers. So all you need to do is, find a US address, download ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) and connect to a server where that address is based, and you’ll be able to make an account with Peacock.
Why can’t I access Peacock in the UK?
You cannot use Peacock in the UK because the streaming service blocks you from accessing its content. Let me explain:
Peacock is a US-based streaming service that only has the rights to broadcast its content in the US. It does not have the rights to broadcast its content in the UK.
Peacock must abide by its licensing agreements, and to prevent running into potential copyright and licensing issues, Peacock stops anyone from outside the US from accessing its service.
It does this using geo-blocking technology. These blocks determine a user’s location, and if Peacock finds they’re outside of the US, it blocks their connection. This is why you’re coming across the “this service is unavailable in your region” error.
How does Peacock’s block my connection?
Geo-blocking technology works by scanning a users IP address.
Whenever you go online, you’re allocated a specific IP address. Just like the area code on a landline phone, this IP contains information disclosing your location when going online.
When you connect to Peacock, it scans your IP address and identifies your location. If you’re outside the US, your connection will be blocked.
How can I get around Peacock’s geo-blocks?
The way to get around these blocks is to fool Peacock into thinking you’re accessing its content from the US.
To do this, you need a US IP address. The best way to get one is using a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
These VPNs encrypt your online data and reroute it through one of their servers. Once the data is here, it’s unencrypted and sent to a local service provider. As a VPN user, you can choose what server your data is sent to. If you want a US IP address, you select a US server, and you’ll be provided with a US IP.
Now when you connect to Peacock and the streaming service scans your IP address, it will determine your location as being based in the US, and the content will be unblocked.
Will any VPN work with Peacock?
VPNs aren’t a secret that no one knows about. They’re a well-known way of getting around geo-blocking techniques.
For this reason, Peacock tries to block VPNs as well.
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 Peacock 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.
- Peacock monitors for IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- Peacock teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, Peacock will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from and it will block you.
For lesser VPNs, these blocking techniques can be hard to get around. To reliably watch Peacock in the UK, you need to use a VPN with measures to get around these blocks. You need a VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
VPNs that work with Peacock
The VPNs that work best with Peacock have three main features. They have plenty of IP addresses (meaning the chance of sharing an IP with another customer is less), they have reliable US servers, and most importantly, they have measures in place to stay one step ahead of Peacock’s VPN blocking techniques.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) have fast and reliable US servers and have many IP addresses. The thing that makes these VPNs the best for watching Peacock in the UK is the measures they have in place to get around Peacock’s blocks.
When Peacock blocks an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), these VPNs will close that IP address and open a new one. This means you can stay one step ahead of Peacock’s blocks, and it allows you to watch Peacock in the UK or anywhere in the world reliably.
Below is a list of VPNs that have measures in place to get around Peacock’s VPN blocks.
The best VPNs to watch Peacock in the UK
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
Special Offer for you!
Get 3 extra months free when you sign up for a 12-month ExpressVPN plan. That’s 15 months in total for the price of 12.
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.
Special Offer for you
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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).
Special Offer – Save 83%
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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.
Special Offer – 7-day FREE trial!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
Take advantage of CyberGhost’s 1-day FREE TRIAL!
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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Is using a VPN with Peacock legal?
Yes, watching Peacock with a VPN is perfectly legal, however it’s important to know that it may go against Peacock’s terms of use.
The Peacock terms of use state “The Peacock Services are for viewers in the United States (including its territories and possessions). You may not access or use the Peacock Services, or the applicable portion thereof, if you are outside of the United States (including its territories and possessions) or are barred from receiving the Peacock Services under these Terms.” And “We have the right to suspend your account for any reason, including due to a violation of these Terms.”
What this means is if Peacock figures out you’re using a VPN to watch the streaming service outside the US, then they can block and possibly ban your account.
With that said there are many legitimate and legal use cases for VPNs, like online privacy and anonymity. It’s fair to suggest that banning customers for using a VPN would be a heavy-handed and financially costly policy for Peacock (and other streaming services) to enforce.
In theory, if you’re trying to watch a streaming service (that you pay for) in a region where it does not traditionally operate, you risk having your account banned. However, as VPNs use military-grade encryption, it’s impossible for streaming services to trace where you’re physically accessing its content from. And there’s one final thing to note on the subject: Peacock has never banned anyone for using a VPN to access its service.
What is Peacock?
Peacock is a US-based over-the-top streaming service operated by NBC.
It launched in 2020 and it shows content from NBCUniversal studios and other third-party content providers.
Peacock broadcasts television series, films, news and sports.
How much does Peacock cost?
Peacock has three different subscription tiers that all come with different offerings and benefits.
There’s a free tier, however onbly select content is watchable.
Peacock Premium costs USD$5/month and all content is unlocked however it contains advertisements and commercials.
The Peacock Premium Plus subscription provides access to all of Peacock’s content without advertisements and costs USD$10/month.
