How to Watch Channel 4 Outside UK – Access Channel 4 on Demand [Updated]

last updated: 18 October 2019 written by: Sebastian Petrosi

Channel 4 on Demand, also known as 4oD, ch4od and All 4 is a popular channel in the UK and you can’t watch channel 4 outside UK. It produces and airs some of the most popular series and shows.

But unfortunately it is only accessible in the UK, which means even if you are an UK expat living in USA, Canada, Australia or anywhere in the world you can’t access Channel 4 on Demand (4oD).

If you are looking to watch Channel 4 in the US, this can only be done by bypassing the geo restrictions via a VPN.

Our recommendation is to use NordVPN to bypass these Geo-restrictions and watch Channel 4 outside UK.

Why can’t I access Channel 4 (4oD) outside UK?

Like I have mentioned before that Channel 4 (4oD) is only available in the UK. Channel 4 has a legal contract with the shows producers which dictates where they can air the show and where they can’t. Legally, anyone outside the UK even if they have UK citizenship cannot access any of the shows being aired on Channel 4.

How to watch Channel 4 Outside UK

There are a few ways through which you can watch 4oD outside UK.

  1. Free Proxies
  2. SmartDNS
  3. VPN

Free Proxies

You can watch Channel 4 outside UK with the help of a free proxy if you are lucky enough to find one that actually works. Channel 4 (4oD) can detect most of the free proxies and can block them which will prevent you from accessing Channel 4 outside UK.

Finding a Free Proxy that actually works can be very frustrating and there is also a high chance of your data being stolen. I wouldn’t recommend this method but if you are of the daring sorts, be my guest.


You can also use a SmartDNS to watch Channel 4 outside UK. Using a SmartDNS is just the same as using a vpn but it provides better speeds. But it offers little security and can be easily tracked by you ISP which can block your SmartDNS.

There are several Free SmartDNS services available online but I wouldn’t recommend them as they can steal your data and most of them won’t work.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

VPN is the best possible solution through which you can unblock ch4oD outside UK. VPN lets you encrypt your online data. A VPN masks your IP which prevents Geo-Restrictions. All you have to do is select a UK server from the list of the servers available with the VPN client you have chosen. Once you connect via the UK IP you will be able to watch Channel 4 Outside UK.

It doesn’t matter where you are located, with a VPN you can easily watch Channel 4 in the US, Australia, Canada or from anywhere in the world.

Which is the best VPN for watching Channel 4 live Outside UK?

There are many VPN providers available in the market but not all of them are reliable. I have mentioned this before, VPN is the best option to watch Channel 4 outside UK but you can easily fall for a scam if you aren’t well informed about which VPN to pick.

There are a few things that you need to consider while picking the best VPN for Channel 4 on Demand.

  1. The amount of servers it has, in this particular case it should the amount of server a VPN Provider has in the UK. The more servers in the UK means you get good speeds as there the traffic will be divided in between those servers.
  2. VPN should have good speed. A VPN service will always slow down your internet speed because of the encryption. However, there are many VPN providers that have low latency and good speeds. ExpressVPN is one of the best examples.
  3. The VPN should have unlimited bandwidth. This is imperative as when you are streaming you don’t want to run out of data. Because if you do, your streaming will stop and you won’t be able to enjoy your shows online anymore.
  4. The VPN should have money back guarantee. There is always a chance that you might not be happy with the service you have brought and in that case you can lose your money if the VPN provider does not have a money back guarantee.

I have done most of the research for you so that you don’t have to go through the hassle. I have listed down the best VPN services which can help you watch Channel 4 outside UK.


As I had already mentioned at the beginning of this guide that in my opinion NordVPN is the best VPN to watch Channel 4 outside UK and here is why I think its the best.

  1. NordVPN has unlimited bandwidth and Decent Speeds.
  2. It has 668 Servers in the UK which supports P2P. This means that these servers have high speeds.
  3. NordVPN offers 30 Days of money back guarantee in case you aren’t happy with their services.
  4. NordVPN is cheap, it only costs only $3.49/month if you buy the 3 years subscription. You can read more about it in our Review of NordVPN.

Watch Channel 4 with NordVPN

SurfShark VPN

It is relatively new in the market but its by no means a lackluster. SurfShark performs great, has good speeds and works well to unblock Channel 4 outside UK. It has a decent server base and they are adding more from time to time. If you want to read more about it you can read my Surfshark VPN Review.

  1. Surfshark VPN is very cheap, you can get it for $1.99/month if you purchase the 2 years plan.
  2. It has 500+ servers in 50 countries.
  3. It supports split tunneling, which means you can run Surfshark with only specific apps you want.
  4. SurfShark Offers 30-days money back guarantee and also offers a 7 days free trial on its apps.

Get Surfshark for 4oD


ExpressVPN is another great option you can use to watch 4oD outside UK. The only reason I have not placed ExpressVPN at the top is because its expensive. In terms of performance, it is better than NordVPN but not everyone can afford to buy ExpressVPN because it costs too much. You can read more about it in our ExpressVPN Review.

  1. ExpressVPN has good downloading speeds and has Unlimited bandwidth. You can check out our Fastest VPN blog for more details.
  2. ExpressVPN offer only 6 servers in the UK. I talked to their support and they said that this shouldn’t affect the speeds. But in my opinion if these servers have a lot of load during the time you wan’t to stream Channel 4 then you are going to have a hard time watching your shows.
  3. Offers 30 days money back guarantee just in case if you want to switch to my best recommendation.
  4. ExpressVPN is on the expensive side and its costs $6.67/month if you purchase the annual plan including 3 months free.

Get ExpressVPN to watch 4oD


For now these are my top recommendations for the best VPN that can help you watch Channel 4 outside UK. If you have better recommendation then sound off in the comments section below. We would appreciate to know the ways to watch channel 4 on demand in the US or anywhere.