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How To Use Proxies With BBC iPlayer

BBC iPlayer is a content streaming platform and video on demand service where users can watch a variety of movies, tv shows, live events, and many more. Here's a quick guide on how to install a proxy server for it!

Carl Gamutan

by Carl Gamutan

Publishing Date: April 8, 2022


BBC iPlayer is a content streaming platform and video on demand service where users can watch a variety of movies, tv shows, live events, and many more. It is pretty simple to use and is nearly available on all of your devices, which is similar to other streaming services like Hulu and Netflix. It is based in the United Kingdom and is owned by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Due to legal and copyright restrictions, BBC iPlayer can only be used in the UK. If you live outside of it, you will not be able to access the BBC iPlayer website or any of its apps. Even if you’re a UK resident, if you’re visiting or traveling to another country, you still won’t be able to use BBC iPlayer. The best workarounds for this is either using a VPN or a BBC iPlayer proxy.

A BBC iPlayer proxy enables you to easily change your IP address to that of a UK IP address which lets you watch BBC iPlayer shows. This is possible because a BBC iPlayer proxy will hide your IP address and handle all of your web requests. This means that any website you visit will only be able to see the IP address of the proxy server. You have the option to choose which IP address and location you want and in this case, you can choose a UK proxy.

To effectively unblock and access BBC iPlayer abroad while also preventing the BBC iPlayer website from recognizing that you’re using a proxy, you need to use the best BBC iPlayer proxies which are residential proxies. Residential proxies use actual residential IPs from real devices making it impossible for BBC iPlayer to detect that you’re using a proxy and make it seem like you’re actually on a UK server. This enables you to freely watch BBC iPlayer anywhere and even UK TV if you desire.

Let’s configure a BBC iPlayer proxy server.

Note: Make sure that the web browser you’re using for BBC iPlayer is set to automatically copy your computer’s proxy settings. Google Chrome automatically does this, so it’s recommended to use it.

How To Use Proxies With BBC iPlayer

For Windows:

To set up proxies in Windows, simply search for “Proxy Settings” in your windows search bar and open the search result.

windowsproxysettings.png

You are then given two options to choose from: Automatic proxy setup or Manual proxy setup. If you want windows to automatically detect your proxy settings, choose the first option. Choose the second option if you want to utilize a specific ip address and port number.

If you chose the first option, then:

  1. Turn on Automatically detect Settings
  2. Turn on Use setup script
  3. Enter the script address
  4. Click Save

windowsautomaticsetup.png

If you chose the second option, then:

  1. Turn on Use a proxy server
  2. Input both server address and port number
  3. If you have any addresses you would like to visit without a proxy, enter them here
  4. Turn on Don’t use the proxy server for local addresses check box if you want to access a local server without a proxy
  5. Click Save

windowsmanualsetup.png

For Mac.

To start configuring your proxy settings in MacOS, simply:

Step 1. Click on the Apple Icon.

macAppleIcon.png

Step 2. On the drop down menu, click on “System Preferences”.

macSystemPreferences.png

Step 3. Click on “Network”

macNetwork.png

Step 4. Click on “Advanced”

macNetworkAdvancedSettings.png

Note: Make sure to connect to your wi-fi first.

Step 5. Click on “Proxies”

macNetworkProxySettings.png

This should then redirect you to MacOS proxy settings. MacOS is more straightforward compared to windows. You only have one option which is to manually configure your proxy server.

Here are the steps to follow:

  1. Select which proxy IP protocol you want to configure. This depends on which protocols your proxy service provider offers.
  2. Turn on Secure Web Proxy
  3. Input the Proxy Server Address and Port Number
  4. Click OK to save the configurations

Note: You may be prompted for your Mac user password to save your settings.

macProxySetup.png

For Mobile:

To set up a BBC iPlayer proxy server for your mobile device, simply change your phone’s proxy settings. The web browser you’re using for BBC iPlayer will automatically copy your phone’s proxy settings whenever you use it. This is applicable for both Android and iOS. Here’s a thorough guide for Android and another one for iPhone.

Congratulations! You have now finished configuring a BBC iPlayer proxy server. Note that the first time you visit it, there will be a pop up asking for your login credentials.