How to Watch PBS outside the US

Do you want to watch PBS in Canada, Australia, UK, or anywhere else outside the US? PBS is a public American TV station that only operates in the US. If you’re an American ex-pat living abroad, you will not be able to access PBS overseas due to geographic restrictions.

This means you will miss out on popular TV shows, documentaries, and indie movies PBS has to offer. Luckily, there’s a workaround you can use to watch PBS abroad. Keep on reading to learn what you need to do:

Unblock PBS Anywhere – Full Guide

More information about how to unblock PBS outside the US is provided in this full guide below:

Is PBS Available in My Country?

PBS is one of the biggest channels in the United States, reaching more than 26 million people online and 120 via television.

The numbers alone showcase how popular the service is in the country. However, these numbers are only statistics within US borders as the channel itself is blocked abroad.

Due to rights restrictions, PBS doesn’t allow any streamer living abroad to access its content. It looks up your IP address to determine your location.

If it’s not a US IP address (You’re overseas), you’ll be blocked instantly. In fact, you’ll receive several error messages depending on the device you’re using, your location, and the local station you’ve chosen.

Below, you’ll find all the error messages you might get: (You’ll find the local stations we used for testing as well)

• “We’re sorry, but this video is not available in your region due to right restrictions.”
• “The WVPB livestream is not available in your current location. Station livestreams are only available in the station broadcast coverage area.”
• “We’re sorry, but this video is not available.”
• “Video error. Video not available in your region.”
• “Live TV Not Available. The ThinkTV livestream is not available because you are not currently in the station broadcast coverage area. Support Code: P33-8768136-P35-5187506.”
• “Request blocked. We can’t connect to the server for this app or website at this time.”

The act of bypassing restrictions on geo-restricted content requires the involvement of a VPN tool. Get that, follow the steps above, and you’ll have PBS in no time.

VPN 101 – The Benefits You Get

In case you don’t know, VPN stands for a virtual private network. It’s a cybersecurity tool that allows you access to content that is not available to you while keeping your data and traffic completely under wraps with the most secure protocols.

The private tunnel – created by a VPN – passes your data through encryptions which transforms it into untouchable pieces of information.

No one under any circumstances can access your data, and that’s how you get ultimate security. But, it doesn’t stop there. Read more to learn about the gains of a VPN:

• Get Content Unblocked: With all the existing geo-restricted content and just as many people wanting to access them, a VPN can help them get all that it is they come across and cannot access.
• Get rid of ISP Throttling: When connected to a VPN, you will no longer have to suffer sudden drops in connections. That’s simply because a VPN prevents that from happening.
• High Privacy: Wrap your data with encryptions, adding layers of privacy and security to all your online activities.
• Friendly and compatible VPN Applications: You can install and set-up any VPN on almost all platforms: PC, Mac, Android, iOS, and FireStick.

Regarding the best VPN that unblocks content like PBS or just about any other, ExpressVPN tops the list.

The company owns a large server network with thousands of servers in different places. As a result, users from all over the world, find connecting to its servers pretty easy.

Their extremely helpful 24/7 customer service makes you not want to take advantage of the 30-day refund policy but subscribe for good. You might want to check out other top providers, which you’ll find in the table here below.

How to Unblock PBS Abroad with Smart DNS Proxies

A Smart DNS service is also regarded as an online solution that rose to popularity in the age of increased geo-blocking technology.

This method has allowed many internet users to access restricted material from all parts of the world. Unlike a VPN, it does not hide your IP address.

Instead, it remains visible to the public, which is an answer to a Smart DNS’s lack of encryption process.

The fact that it doesn’t put users’ data through encryptions makes it less of a secure option than a VPN. But, that has no effect whatsoever on its unblocking abilities. If anything, it’s much faster than a VPN. Learn more about a Smart DNS below:

• A Smart DNS tool is compatible with almost all streaming devices.
• You can setup Smart DNS on devices like PS4, PS3, Xbox, Apple TV, Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Wii, PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android.
• Excellent unblocking capabilities.
• What you get to unblock depends on the type you have chosen to subscribe to.
• When transparent proxies or DNS hijacking are present, a Smart DNS fails to work properly.
• You cannot manually select your new virtual location with a Smart DNS.

All the providers presented in the table above have Smart DNS for free with their subscriptions. You can benefit from a 30-day refund policy to test their service out.

How to Create a PBS Account Outside the US

PBS can be streamed without having to sign in or even create an account. However, with a valid PBS account, you get extra privileges when streaming the channel.

So, if you’re interested in streaming in full HD, creating a favorite list, and continuing from where you left off, here’s how you can create a PBS account:

1. Open your VPN and connect to a US server.
2. Head over to https://www.pbs.org/
3. On the top right of the screen, right next to the PBS logo, click on Sign in.
4. Now, you can sue any of your social media accounts or register with PBS.
5. Fill in the required information.
6. You now have a PBS account.

How to Watch PBS on Any Device Outside the US

Now that you have a VPN subscription and a PBS account (Although an account is not needed), here’s how you can get PBS Video on any of your streaming platforms:

Stream PBS Anywhere – FAQ

We’ve answered a few more of our readers’ inquiries below. Take a quick look. This might be very helpful if you want to watch PBS Video outside the US:

Wrap Up

In a nutshell, if you want to access geo-blocked streaming channels or websites overseas, you have to spoof your online location.

Both VPN and Smart DNS proxies allow you to do just that. Which method you choose to unblock PBS abroad is totally up to you, but we’d love to know anyway, so drop a comment down below.