Freeview or Freeview Play is a free-to-air streaming service that brings over 40,000 hours of on-demand TV for free.
It carries content from multiple UK streaming services i.e. ITV Hub, BBC iPlayer, STV Player, UKTV Play, Channel 4, My5, and plenty more.
Most of these services are only available in the UK and not in Ireland and the only way to watch Freeview in Ireland is with the help of a reliable VPN.Â
I was able to unblock Freeview Play and its content in Ireland with the help of ExpressVPN and the other best VPNs that I have discussed later in this guide.
Our Recommended VPN – ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is our recommended choice for streaming any geo-restricted services that are unavailable in Ireland OR it is used to stay anonymous over the internet for watching anything for free as it hides your streaming activity from the ISPs.
Subscribe to ExpressVPN today and enjoy 3 extra months for free. You also get a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How to Watch Freeview in Ireland
Freeview is a completely free service to watch your favorite shows in Ireland. Some of the content would require you to create a free account such as ITV Hub or BBC iPlayer content.
All you will be needing is a good VPN service to connect. You can easily watch Freeview in Ireland by the following steps:
Step 1: Subscribe to a good VPN service (ExpressVPN is our #1 choice)
Step 2: Download the ExpressVPN app and install it on your device
Step 3: Open the VPN app and connect to the UK server (e.g. Docklands)
Step 4: Go to the Freeview website and select What’s On
Step 5: Search for Peaky Blinders
Step 6: Click Watch Now
Step 7: Click PLay
Step 8: Click Sign In if you already have a free account OR click Register
Step 9: Select Under 16 or Over 16
Step 10: Enter your Date of Birth
Step 11: Enter your Email/Password
Step 12: Select “I have a TV License, Watch Now” option
Step 13: Select either Turn On PG Lock OR Play Without PG
Step 14: Start streaming!
What is Freeview Play?
Freeview Play is the same as Freeview but instead of visiting each individual website to watch the content, you will get the same content on the Freeview app at one place.
With the Freeview Play app, you can access 40,000 hours of TV On-demand (All for Free), accessible in over 700 Boxsets.
In Freeview Play, you will find 95% of the UK’s favorite TV content. You can search for any Show or Movie directly from Freeview and stream without the need to create a free account.
How to Set Up Freeview Play App in Ireland?
Freeview Play app isn’t available outside the UK, so you won’t be able to install it on your device. Therefore, you will have to download Freeview Play APK which I have discussed below:
Step 1: Subscribe to ExpressVPN and connect to the UK server
Step 2: Download the Freeview Play APK and run the installation
Step 4: Open the Freeview app
Step 5: Choose your favorite Live or on-demand channel
Step 6: Chooose any content and start streaming!
3 Best Recommended VPNs to Unblock Freeview in Ireland
Here we have gathered a few choices for you to choose from, we tested about 35+ VPN services. We recommended using the 3 best VPNs that were able to easily bypass Freeview geo-restrictions in a single attempt.Â
Take a look at the 3 best VPNs to unblock Freeview in Ireland:
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is our most recommended VPN to unblock Freeview in Ireland because it has servers in 3 UK cities and a total of 3,00 servers in 90 countries.Â
It has a blazing fast speed (89 Mbps out of 100 Mbps) that gives you a smooth streaming experience. It also has strong security features such as AES-256 bit encryption and a Kill Switch.Â
With ExpressVPN, you can unblock other services as well apart from Freeview. Some of these include BBC iPlayer, Hulu, STV Player, and Xumo TV.
With ExpressVPN you can easily connect 5 devices at the same time with one account. It is available for €6.42/month and you get a 30-day money-back guarantee to check out its cool new features. Also if you hurry and get the deal right now you can also get 3 months free.
2. Surfshark
Surhshark is the second best VPN on our list, with its amazing features and because of it 360 servers in 4 cities of the UK.Â
With a speed of 83 Mbps out of 100 Mbps, it will let you stream Freeview without any lagging or buffering issues.
With a single Surfshark account, you can connect to unlimited devices at the same time which is an incredible feature. It also blocks malware and ads to keep your device protected at all times.
Surfshak is available for only $2.49/month and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 customer support service.
3. NordVPN
NordVPN is also one of the fastest and most reliable VPNs on the list having over 250 servers in the UK that help unblock Freeview content with relative ease.
The Double protection feature of NordVPN disguises your IP address twice and protects your device from any sort of online threat you might have to face.
Also, the CyberSec feature prevents you from malfunctioning sites and other viruses that might be ready to attack your device.
You can get a 30-day money-back guarantee if the service fails to get up to your standards. You can get NordVPN for $3.49/month.
Why can’t I watch Freeview without a VPN?
As we all know by now that Freeview is not available in Ireland, and that’s due to geo-restrictions applied because of licensing agreements and copyright ownership.Â
It is strictly a UK-Based streaming service and can’t be watched in Ireland without the help of a Virtual Private Network OR VPN.
A VPN changes your virtual location from one country to another. For example, if you try to access Freeview in Ireland, you will connect to the UK server of a VPN since it’s a UK service.
Once you’re connected, you will be assigned a UK IP address by which you will be allowed to watch the content without any restrictions.
What Can You Watch on Freeview?
As discussed earlier, Freeview OR Freeview is not just one service but is a combination of multiple UK streaming services i.e. BBC iPlayer, ITV, MY5, ALL4, etc.
Whichever content that you try to stream it will redirect to the original website. Here’s a look at some of the content that you can watch on Freeview:
- Peaky Blinder
- Killing Eve
- The Suspect
- England International Football
- Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmare USA
- BBC News
- Crossfire
- Jeremy Vine
- This Morning
- Love in the Flesh
- Holding
- Our House
On What Devices Freeview is Available?
Following are the devices compatible to stream Freeview:
- Android (KitKat and above)
- iPhone/iPad (iOS 11 above)
- PC
- Laptop
- Boxsets
- Tablets
- Android TV Box
- Smart TV
Other Streaming Services to Watch in Ireland
There are numerous other UK streaming channels and services you can enjoy watching in Ireland. However, you will still need a VPN to break into these sites and access full content.
- Watch BFI Player in Ireland
- Watch UKTV Play in Ireland
- Watch TVplayer in Ireland
- Watch ITV Hub in Ireland
- Watch Quest TV in Ireland
- Listen to Absolute Radio in Ireland
FAQs- Freeview
Is the Freeview channel free?
Yes, Freeview is a free-to-watch service and there are no subscription charges that come along with it. You will just need to make a free account in order to watch everything. You can watch free episodes just by connecting yourself to a VPN.
Can I access Freeview outside of the UK?
Indeed you can, by connecting yourself to a good VPN you will be able to access Freeview TV from outside of the UK no matter where you are. Just connect to any of the working UK servers and you are good to go.
Is it legal to use a VPN?
Yes, using a VPN is legal, however it may be up to your online activities as well. So keep yourself away from any illegal activity.
Conclusion
Freeview is only available in the UK and the only way to watch Freeview in Ireland is to use a reliable VPN service.
Freeview has tons of free content available for streaming if you use a VPN and connect to the UK server of a VPN.
ExpressVPN is our recommended choice to stream Freeview outside of the UK because of its multiple UK servers and great speed.
