How to watch ITV in the USA
Chris
Chris, a UK-born media connoisseur, is an expert in watching international TV. Known as "The Global Screen Wanderer", he has travelled extensively across the globe with long stints away from home. With over 10 years of experience he has become the go-to guru for streaming content from home and abroad.
If you’re looking for a way to watch ITV in the USA then you’re not alone and in this guide I’m going to show you how it’s possible.
Firstly, it’s impossible to access ITV as you would in the UK in the US. You can probably pick up a few different shows or programmes but there is no US network showing ITV completely.
The best way to watch ITV in the USA is to use the online streaming service ITVX.
However, if like me you’ve already tried to access ITVX in the US then you’ll know that you’re blocked from viewing.
Below I’m going to show you how you can bypass this block and watch ITV in the USA and elsewhere in the world using a simple app called a VPN.
What you need to stream ITV in the United States
To watch ITV in the USA on ITVX you’re going to need to sign-up to a service called a VPN.
A VPN allows you to virtually reside in another country by altering your IP Address. An IP Address is unique to you and it is what discloses your location to the websites that you visit.
When you visit ITVX in the US it knows you’re in the United States and throws up a block message similar to the one below.
A VPN allows you to get an IP Address from the United Kingdom and so fools the ITVX website into thinking you’re actually in the UK, even though you’re not.
There are plenty of companies to get a VPN service from and below I’ll look at some of the best to watch ITV in the USA.
Where to get a VPN
The purpose of a VPN is to protect your online privacy so not only is it a way of accessing ITV abroad but it’ll also make your internet connection more secure in general.
Due to online privacy being a big issue it means the choice of VPN providers is huge and at first glance can be overwhelming.
If you type the term “VPN” into Google you’ll be overwhelmed at the choice.
To save you time and help you make a quicker purchasing decision I’ve been testing the best VPN services to watch ITV in the USA and listed my top 3 below. All cost between $5 – $10 per month and are cheapest when you take an annual package.
Just click one of the names below to visit their website or click the green button to visit my recommended provider.
- ExpressVPN – Highly Recommended!
- NordVPN
- Surfshark
Once you’ve signed up to a provider read below to find out how to use the service to watch ITV in the USA or elsewhere in the world.
30-day money back guarantee
How to unlock ITVX in the US
Using the VPN is easy. All three recommended VPN providers above supply easy to use software which you can download from their website.
Once you’ve downloaded and installed it all you need to do is connect to their United Kingdom server.
Most of the software is the same, they just look slightly different.
Below I’ve given a quick run down of the process using ExpressVPN.
- Visit the ExpressVPN website by clicking here and sign-up.
- Download the software from their Products area.
- Install either their PC or Mac software and run it.
- Press Selected Location.
- Press United Kingdom.
Unblock ITV in the US.
The ExpressVPN software will now take care of the connection which should take between 15-30 seconds at most.
Once the software is connected you should visit the ITVX website and you’ll be able to watch as if you were in the UK.
If you don’t already have an account you’ll need to make one and supply a UK postcode. You can use any by searching Google but a few to try are AB1 8ST, BD21 5QP and CA6 4RA.
There is nothing more to it, enjoy watching ITVX in the USA or elsewhere in the world.
30-day money back guarantee
What about a free alternative?
No doubt you would prefer a free solution, wouldn’t we all?
If you’ve heard of proxies these won’t be suitable, these only allow you to visit certain websites in a basic way and trick them into thinking you’re somewhere else. When streaming video you need something more and a VPN is the best solution.
There are a handful of “free” VPN services out there but in all honesty, they’re not very good. Too many users try to use them which makes them overloaded and because you’re not paying for the service they don’t have the resources for the number of users. This leads to slow playback and buffering which can really ruin your enjoyment of watching ITVX.
You also have the worry that if you’re not paying for the service then you are the service. This means your usage details could be logged and sold or you could find yourself bombarded with adverts.
While other options may be available, it just isn’t worth the headache.
Don’t forget you can watch ITV in the USA and elsewhere by clicking the button below.
Summary
If you want to enjoy ITV via the ITVX app or website (Formally ITV Hub and ITV Player) in the US then you’ll need to use a VPN app.
This allows you to change your location and look like you’re in the UK.
Grab ExpressVPN, selected the United Kingdom and tap the Connect button.
Once connected you can binge as much ITV as you like wherever you are in the US or across the world.
✔ Beginner-friendly
✔ Quick to set up
✔ Money back guarantee
30-day money back guarantee
Does installing VPN affect the US TV packages that come through the TV cable service – such as Xfinity on Demand?
Not if you’re watching them on an actual TV because the VPN would need to be installed on some other kind of device.
If however you’re using the Xfinity on Demand app on that device then if you were connected to the VPN it would interfere. However, you would really only want to connect to the VPN when you’re watching ITV and after finishing, disconnect it so everything else functions as normal.
I’m using Hotspot Shield Premium i can access bbciplayer fine but i can never access itvplayer, i get the same message each time “this video is not available”, any idea why it works for one but not the other?
Hi Pat,
What type of device are you using? It could be something as simple as Hotspot Shield being blocked from accessing ITV Player. I know ExpressVPN works well for both, but haven’t tried Hotspot Shield. Usually ITV is the more likely to work so it’s strange it’s not working for yourself.