
It’s like we’re all roommates in a single house. Now, what happens if you, I and a several hundred other people access the BBC iPlayer with a VPN server’s IP (servers may have multiple IP addresses, but for simplicity’s sake, let’s assume a single one)? That’s four connections from the same IP address talking to the iPlayer server for several hours each day.įrom the BBC’s point of view, that sounds entirely reasonable and is probably a fairly common usage pattern. Let’s assume a home situation with a family of four where everyone streams content off the BBC iPlayer at the same time. Most of those locations will have a single external IP, regardless of how many devices are connected to the internet. The BBC iPlayer is meant to be used mostly from home and sometimes from a place of business. So how does the BBC know you are streaming the iPlayer through a VPN? It all comes down to your IP address and probability.

That’s a whole lot of people, almost as many as live in the UK.Ĭonsidering those numbers, it’s understandable why the BBC has actively started taking measures to stop unauthorized access.

Some data suggest an estimated 60 million people living outside the UK watch the BBC iPlayer with VPNs or other tools that bypass geo-blocking. All those “around the world” viewers were never supposed to happen.
#Mullvad bbc iplayer tv#
The problem is the iPlayer is a service meant to be used only by residents, individuals who pay for the UK’s mandatory TV license. The iPlayer has become an amazing success for the corporation not only in the UK but also around the world. It’s easy to see why the BBC decided to take action and clamp down on VPN use. Why Is the BBC iPlayer Blocking VPN Access But, using a VPN to watch the BBC iPlayer is as doable as ever. Yes, there have been changes, and things have perhaps become a little more inconvenient. So is the game up? Are those of us outside the UK out of luck? In fact, the word on the street is that using a VPN for the iPlayer does not work period. Today, things no longer seem to be that easy.
#Mullvad bbc iplayer update#
I last connected a few hours ago with NordVPN (using UK server #2007) to watch Sportscene and World Cup 2022: Messi.Īs always, I will continue to update this page at least a few times per week with my latest BBC iPlayer VPN use.Īs recently as a year ago, watching the BBC iPlayer with a VPN was the most reliable way of accessing the service outside the UK. OctoUpdate: Despite the BBC’s best efforts at detecting and blocking VPN use, several providers continue to work well with the iPlayer.
