How to Watch Channel 4 Outside The UK
Channel 4 is Britain’s alternative channel, designed as a more edgy counterpart to the traditional BBC channels. The channel is very well known in Britain, but isn’t often available to watch outside of the UK. And this is a shame, because there is a lot of great unique programming that is on Channel 4 but not on popular channels like BBC America.
Channel 4 is known for showing soaps like Hollyoaks, comedies like The Big Bang Theory and The IT Crowd, and reality TV shows like Come Dine With Me. The channel is also responsible for a lot of popular fringe comedy in Britain, including shows like Peep Show, The Inbetweeners, and 8 Out of 10 Cats. In 2017, the channel bought the rights to broadcast the hugely popular cookery show The Great British Bake Off, which has brought in a big audience for this program. Finally, Channel 4 is also often involved in producing and promoting independent movies through the film arm, and you’ll an interesting and original film program on the channel too.
Even though Channel 4 isn’t as well known as the BBC outside of the UK, there is still a lot of great content there which people from all around the world want to watch. In this article we’ll be showing you how anyone can watch the channel’s content on their computer, from anywhere in the world. Read on to find out more about how to watch Channel 4 outside the UK,
Watch On The Channel 4 Website
If you’re based in the UK, then you can easily watch Channel 4 on its website as well as on the TV. The Channel 4 website is at https://www.channel4.com/ and you’ll find options to stream all of the on-demand content that is shown on the channel. The videos are high quality and you can often watch whole seasons of shows, even if they aired a long time ago.
To use the site, you have to visit the URL and then use the search or categories functions to find the episode you want. When you click on an episode, you’ll be taken to a streaming page. Here you’ll have to register or sign in to your account. If you don’t have an account, don’t worry, you can sign up for one for free. But you will need to enter a UK postcode. Once you have an account, you can stream any video content that you want.
If you’re outside the UK, however, the website won’t work. You can visit the site and select an episode, but when you go to play the episode it will not stream. Usually you won’t even see an error message – but the problem is that you are trying to access the videos from an non-UK IP address. Fortunately, there is a way for you to use the Channel 4 website for streaming even if you are based outside of the UK, and that is by using a VPN.
Use A VPN To Watch Channel 4 From Outside The UK
When you use your browser to visit a site like the Channel 4 site, the site will check whether you have a UK IP address. If you do, the site will show you videos, but if you don’t then the videos just won’t work. When you are using a VPN to connect to a UK server, it will appear to the site as if you are browsing from the UK and the site will show you video content, even if you are actually based elsewhere in the world.
You can use this same method to watch other UK-only content like BBC iPlayer, or connect to a server elsewhere in the world to access restricted content like the Comedy Central website or Hulu. Now we have recommendations for some of the best VPNs that you can use to access sites like Channel 4 from outside of the UK:
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is one of the most popular VPNs in the world for good reason. This VPN provider has a reputation for reliability and stability, working on practically all sites, even if they have VPN restrictions. The server network is massive, with over 1000 servers in 94 different countries including the UK, so you’ll be able to easily access UK content like Channel 4 and other geo-locked content from around the world. The excellent security includes strong 256-bit encryption and a no logging policy, and you can install the software on Windows, Mac, Linux, mobile devices, and more.
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- Superfast servers (minimal speed loss)
- Torrenting allowed
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- Slightly more expensive than some other options.
2. NordVPN
For those who want a truly international VPN, we recommend NordVPN. This provider has servers all over the world, in a network of 1070 servers in 60 countries including the UK, which makes it perfect for those who travel a lot or want to access content from other countries. The service also has strong encryption and a no logging policy, and it has a special double encryption method which encrypts your data twice for ultimate security. The software can be installed on Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android, and more, plus there are browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox which are dead easy to use.
- Unblocks US Netflix, iPlayer, Amazon Prime and other streaming services
- Fast and stable connections
- Zero leaks: IP/DNS/WebRTC
- Strict zero logs policy on both traffic and metadata
- Great customer service via chat.
- Can't specify City or Province in App.
Watch Channel 4 With Add-ons For Kodi
However, watching on the Channel 4 website isn’t a good solution for everyone. Maybe you don’t want to sign up for an account, or you don’t have a UK postcode that you can use to sign up. For this reason, we’ll show you a couple of other ways to watch Channel 4. These methods involve using add-ons for the Kodi open source media centre software. This software is designed for organising and viewing your media library, but you can install add-ons which give you extra functionalities like the ability to stream content over the internet.
We’ll show you two different add-ons: one for watching Channel 4 live, and one for watching Channel 4 content on demand. But you should be aware that these add-ons allow you to access copyrighted content unofficially, and using them is therefore illegal in many countries. To keep yourself safe from potential legal troubles when using these add-ons, we recommend that you use a VPN.
We Recommend IPVanish For Kodi Users
For Kodi users, the VPN provider that we recommend is IPVanish. With a large network of 850 servers in 60 different countries including the UK, it’s perfect for streaming videos thanks to its super fast connections. The security is also excellent, with strong 256-bit encryption and a no logging policy. You can install the software on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
IPVanish offers a 7-day money back guarantee which means you have a week to test it risk-free. Please note that Addictive Tips readers can save a massive 60% here on the IPVanish annual plan, taking the monthly price down to only $4.87/mo.
Watch Live Streams Of Channel 4 With cCloud TV
If you want to watch Channel 4 as a live feed, as if you were watching it on TV, then you can use an IPTV add-on. This is useful for when you want to watch a live content like a sports event or the news, which you want to view at the same time it airs. IPTV is a protocol for sharing television content over the internet, and there are lots of ways to access this content. We’ll show you one way to watch IPTV streams on Kodi using the cCloud TV add-on.
How To Install The cCloud TV Add-On For Kodi
First we need to install the cCloud TV add-on from the kod1 repository. Here’s how to do that:
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Begin on your Kodi home screen
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Click on the settings icon, then go to File Manager
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Click on Add source
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Click on the box where it says <None>
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Enter in this URL: https://kod1help.com/kod1/ Make sure to type it exactly as written, including the https://, or it won’t work
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Give the source a name. We’ll call it kod1
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Click OK
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Go back to your home screen
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Click on Add-ons
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Click on the icon that looks like an open box
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Click on Install from zip file
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Click on kod1, then on 1. KODI VIDEO ADD-ONS/, then on plugin.video.ccloudtv-1.5.6.zip
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Wait for a moment until this add-on installs. Once it’s done, you’ll see a notification
How To Use The cCloud TV Add-On To Watch Channel 4
And now that the add-on has been installed, we can use it to watch Channel 4 live. Here’s how:
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Begin on your Kodi home screen
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Go to Add-ons
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Go to Video add-ons
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Click on cCloud TV
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Scroll down to Search and click on it
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Enter channel 4 into the input box
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You’ll see an option that says Channel 4 (FilmOn). Click on this and the stream will begin
Watch Channel 4 Shows On Demand With Covenant
Alternatively, you might want to watch Channel 4 shows on demand. If you want to watch a Channel 4 show like Peep Show or Great British Bake Off, then it’s easier to use an on-demand streaming add-on rather than having to tune into the IPTV add-on at the same time each week. We’ll show you how to use the popular Covenant add-on to watch content like Channel 4 shows on demand.
How To Install The Covenant Add-On For Kodi
We’ll first install the xvbmc repository, and then use this repository to download and install Covenant. Here are the step by step instructions for this process:
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Begin on your Kodi home screen
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Find the cog-shaped settings icon and click it
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Go to File Manager
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Click on to Add source
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Click the box that says <None>
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Enter in this URL: https://archive.org/download/repository.xvbmc And make sure that you include the https://
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Give the source a name. We’ll call it xvbmc
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Click OK
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Go back to the home screen
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Click on Add-ons
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Click on the icon that looks like an open box
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Click on Install from zip file
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Click on xvmbc, then on repository.xvbmc-4.2.0.zip
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Wait for a second. Once the source has been installed you’ll see a notification
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Click on Install from repository
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Click on XvBMC (Add-ons) REPOsitory
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Click on Video add-ons
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Go to Covenant and click it
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You’ll see a screen with information about the add-on. Click on Install from the menu at the bottom
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Wait a second. You’ll get another notification once the add-on has been installed
How To Use The Covenant Add-On For Kodi
Now that the Covenant add-on has been installed, we can use it to watch content like Channel 4 shows on demand. Here is how you use the add-on:
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Begin on your Kodi homepage
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Go to Add-ons
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Go to Video add-ons
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Go to Covenant
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Go to Search
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Now select TV Shows
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Type in the name of the show you’re looking for. In this example, we’ll type bake off into the input box, then press enter
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A list of results appears. Click on the show you want – in this case, The Great British Bake Off
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Now you’ll see a list of seasons that are available. Click on the season that you want – for the latest season, we’ll select Season 8
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Click the title of any episode to see a list of streams
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Click on a stream and the video will begin
Conclusion
Channel 4 isn’t the best known of British TV channels, but there is a lot of content there which will appeal: everything from reality TV shows, to obscure comedies, to independent films. The channel does have an official website which you can use to stream their video content, but this site only works within the UK. So for our international readers, we’ve shown you a few different methods of how to watch Channel 4 outside of the UK. If you want to use the official Channel 4 website, then you can use a VPN to access the site even from outside the UK. Alternatively, you can use add-ons for the Kodi media centre software to watch Channel 4 content either live or on demand.
Do you watch Channel 4 from outside of the UK? Which method have you found to be most effective? Let us know about it in the comments below.