How to Stream BBC iPlayer in South Africa

It’s astonishing to find out that BBC was once considered among the pioneers of online video-on-demand streaming. Britain’s largest broadcaster started its iPlayer platform in 2007 in a bid to provide users with a convenient online platform to stream their favorite films and TV shows.

But rather than taking over the world of streaming on a global stage as Netflix dared, BBC iPlayer decided to stay back within the UK territory. While viewers in the UK can enjoy the iPlayer service, unfortunately, fans living in South Africa can’t stream their favorite shows due to geo-restrictions. 

Given the admiration for British TV dramas, it can be vexing for South African viewers when they are unable to access BBC iPlayer. However, using a premium VPN app, you can change your IP Address for South Africa to the UK and start streaming on BBC iPlayer, whatever you want.

What is BBC iPlayer?

BBC iPlayer is an on-demand video streaming platform owned by BBC. iPlayer has several movies, TV series, documentaries, and even sports events that the platform offers to its audience. 

It is considered the one-stop service where you can stream whatever you want from the entire BBC Network channel. On BBC iPlayer, you will get live TV coverage of sporting events, the latest news, and music as well. 

How to Get BBC iPlayer in South Africa? – 3 Methods

As BBC iPlayer is a geo-restricted streaming service, to get it in South Africa, you will have to go over those boundaries. Well, in this modern age, there are many ways that have been introduced to do so. We have picked the right and best ones for you. Using one of these methods will get you guaranteed access to BBC iPlayer in South Africa:  

1. VPN (Recommended)
2. Proxy Servers
3. Smart DNS

A premium VPN is one of the safest and easiest ways to bypass geo-blocks implemented by a streaming service. This way will work 100% and you can successfully unblock BBC iPlayer with it as we have tested this method in detail.  

A VPN is specially designed to put a veil on your actual IP address and assign you a new one in your desired location or just randomly pick one. As for this situation where you want to watch BBC iPlayer in South Africa, when connected to a UK VPN server, your online traffic is rerouted, portraying that you are located in the UK, and it will stop BBC iPlayer to tracking your actual location, and you can unblock the streaming service.

Recommended VPN to Watch BBC iPlayer: ExpressVPN 

ExpressVPN, in my opinion, is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer due to its fast speed and industry-leading features. It hosts a network of 3000+ high-speed servers in 94+ countries and has the ability to unblock all major streaming services. I personally tested this VPN on BBC iPlayer and it worked like a charm.

This VPN offers cross-platform compatibility and can be used on 5 devices simultaneously on one account. Compatibility isn’t an issue as you can use it on Android, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Linux. 

ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer feature impressed me a great deal. This SmartDNS function allows you to watch geo-restricted content on devices that aren’t VPN-friendly, such as Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Game Consoles, and Smart TVs.

You can enjoy a worry-free digital life with ExpressVPN’s AES 256-bit Encryption and OpenVPN protocols. In addition, DNS leak protection, Kill Switch, Zero-logging, and Split Tunneling further boost your online security and data privacy.

You can subscribe to this gem of a VPN for only $6.67/month with its 12-month plan. A 30-day money-back guarantee is also included in the package. Another good is that you can further grab a 7-day free trial if you subscribe through the App Store or Google Play Store.

Getting a proxy server will also make these geo-restrictions go away and you can access the content you want as they also make your online presence anonymous. However, this technique to evade the geo-restrictions is not considered as safe as using a VPN. It is most likely that if you are using a proxy, you will get caught, and the geo-blocking system of BBC iPlayer will pick you up and will block your access. 

The third method to unblock BBC iPlayer in South Africa is using a Smart DNS. This way of accessing any geo-restricted platform doesn’t really provide the functionality that a good VPN can provide, but still, it changes the actual location and DNS (Domain Name Server) of the user. You can access geo-restricted services using a Smart DNS, but any activity you do online won’t be encrypted.

Top series to watch on BBC iPlayer

Here are the top series to watch on BBC iPlayer:

• Conversations with Friends
• Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin
• Peaky Blinders
• Doctor Who
• SAS Rogue Heroes
• Sherwood
• Superman & Lois
• Death in Paradise
• This Is Going to Hurt
• Killing Eve

Top Movies to Watch on BBC iPlayer

Here is a list of the best top movies on BBC iPlayer that you can watch:

• The Keeper
• After Love
• David Brent: Life on the Road
• Woman in Gold
• The Turning
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
• The Girl with a Bracelet
• The Lost City of Z
• Made in Dagenham

BBC iPlayer Compatible Devices

BBC iPlayer can be watched on many devices. Here is the list of compatible devices: 

• Fire Tablets
• Fire TV and FireStick
• Android TV (select models)
• Android phones and tablets
• iPhones and iPads
• Mac and PC browsers/apps
• Apple TV (4th generation or later)
• Roku (select models)
• Chromecast
• Xbox 360 and Xbox One
• PS3 and PS4

Conclusion

Now you know everything about how you can watch BBC iPlayer in South Africa, what you can watch, and which devices you can stream BBC iPlayer on. So head over to the comment section below and let us know if this quick guide helped you and what else you would like to know about. 

Until then, Happy streaming!

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