How to Get Access to UK TV in Spain
Whether you’re a British expat living in Spain, a UK citizen on vacation there, or someone from Spain who just loves UK entertainment, you probably tried at one point to view UK TV in Spain only to quickly realize you just can’t do it.
Well, we’re going to use this article to address why that happens, and to offer you an easy workaround. After all, UK entertainment is simply amazing, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to enjoy it just because you’re from a different country.
Why Can’t You Watch UK TV in Spain?
While you might be able to access some UK websites and content in Spain, you’ll quickly find that most of your favorite shows simply aren’t available outside the UK.
Some websites might even straight out be inaccessible to you if you’re accessing them from a different country than the UK. And that’s all due to geo-restrictions.
What Are Geo-Restrictions?
They are a method content providers use to restrict access to their content and platforms based on your geographical location. Essentially, the website you try to access will analyze your IP address when you connect to it.
Since your IP contains data that can be linked to your real geo-location, the website in question will know if you are “authorized” to connect to it or browse its content. If you are not, you’ll likely get a message telling you the content isn’t available in your country yet – or something else along those lines.
Why Are Geo-Restrictions Enforced?
Most of the time, it’s due to the content provider only buying the rights to broadcast certain shows and movies in a specific country. Network and copyright regulations can also force content providers to stick to a specific market in one country.
In the case of UK shows and movies, geo-blocks are also likely tied to the TV licence fee UK residents have to pay. Basically, it’s tax money that’s used to fund broadcasting services (among other things) like BBC iPlayer, for instance. So, that’s another reason you wouldn’t be able to get British TV in Spain – because you don’t pay taxes for it.
Here’s How to Watch UK TV in Spain
The only way you can bypass geo-blocks is pretty obvious – you need to find a way to hide your geographical location when you’re in the Internet and want to access UK TV in Spain.
It might sound difficult and complex, but it really isn’t. You’ve actually got 2 ways to do that:
1. Use a VPN
A VPN is a service that can help you access geo-blocked content by masking your IP address, and replacing it with the IP of the VPN server you are connected to.
So, if you connect to a VPN server that’s based in the UK, and try to enjoy UK TV in Spain, you’ll be able to do it because the websites will think you are connecting to them from the UK.
It is worth noting, though, that your online speeds might slow down a bit every once in a while if you use a VPN with strong encryption. That’s not guaranteed to happen all the time, and the effect isn’t always that noticeable, but it’s worth mentioning. One way to avoid that is to pick a VPN provider that lets you switch between VPN protocols, so that you can pick one with less encryption.
2. Use a Smart DNS
While a Smart DNS service doesn’t replace your IP address, it does mask your ISP-assigned DNS address.
If you’re not sure what a DNS is, it stands for Domain Name System, and it translates website domains into IP addresses. Besides that, it also contains data that can reveal your geo-location.
What’s more, this service will intercept your connection request to a UK website, and replace any data in the request that can be linked to your geographical location with information that points to an “acceptable” location in the UK.
Since a Smart DNS doesn’t use encryption, you’ll get to enjoy your original ISP-provided speeds. Still, keep in mind that – unlike a VPN – a Smart DNS won’t secure your privacy and personal information when you’re streaming UK TV in Spain.
Enjoy UK TV in Spain Hassle-Free with CactusVPN
Whether you want to use a VPN or a Smart DNS, we’ve got you covered. CactusVPN features both services for a very affordable price. They come equipped with unlimited bandwidth, and our VPN has high-end AES encryption, a Killswitch, 6 VPN protocols to choose from, and a no-log policy as well.
And in case you only want to use a VPN, and aren’t interested in content from other countries, you can also just opt for our UK VPN-only subscription.
“What UK Content Can I Get Access to?”
With CactusVPN, you can enjoy over 40 sources of wonderful UK entertainment, news, music, and sports.
Want More Than Just British TV in Spain?
If you want more content variety, you’ll be happy to know you can unblock over 300 websites with CactusVPN. Overall, you can enjoy video content, sports, and music from countries like The US, Canada, Sweden, France, Germany, Poland, Australia, Switzerland etc.
And once you pick a subscription plan, you’ll be happy to know we’ll still have your back with a 30-day money-back guarantee in case something goes wrong.
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And once you do become a CactusVPN customer, we’ll still have your back with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Conclusion
Most UK programming isn’t available outside the country for legal, copyright, and network-related reasons, and content providers rely on geo-restrictions to prevent you from watching your favorite shows from a country like Spain. Luckily, you can easily bypass those obstacles with a VPN or a Smart DNS.
