If you’ve been watching Channel 4 with a VPN and it’s suddenly stopped working, your VPN is no longer staying ahead of Channel 4’s VPN blocking technology.
This can be annoying, especially as it’s not a fault that you’ve caused. Fortunately though, there’s a few fixes you can try to resolve the problem.
This article will run you through how you can try to fix Channel 4 not working with VPN.
Channel 4 not working with VPN: Quick guide
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Delete Cookies
A good place to start when trying to fix Channel 4 not working with VPN, is deleting your Cookies.
Cookies aren’t malicious or dangerous files, they’re small files used to streamline your online experience.
The problem with Cookies is they contain information about your physical location.
If the location you’re selecting on your VPN differs from the location stored on your Cookies, Channel 4 is able to see that and it will block your VPN.
Even if you don’t remember accepting Cookies, it’s important you delete them when trying to fix Channel 4 not working with VPN.
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Change to a different UK server
Channel 4 is constantly trying to block VPNs from accessing its content.
While it doesn’t have the ability to block a VPN entirely, it does have the ability to block the IP addresses a VPN provides.
This is what has probably happened to your VPN, the IP address you’ve been given has been identified and blocked.
Changing to a different server will give you a different IP address and if that one hasn’t been blocked by Channel 4, your VPN will work with the streaming service again.
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Upgrade to a better VPN
If you’ve tried the above fixes and Channel 4 still isn’t working with VPN. Unfortunately, all the IP addresses your VPN can provide have been blocked by Channel 4.
This has happened because your current VPN isn’t good enough, or doesn’t have the infrastructure to ensure you can get around Channel 4’s blocks consistently.
In this instance you’ll need to upgrade to a VPN that does have measures to get around Channel 4’s blocks.
We recommend, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month). ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) has fast servers all over the world, and most importantly it has measures in place to ensure you’ll be able to consistently watch Channel 4 anywhere in the world.
Why does Channel 4 block VPNs?
Licensing. That’s the one-word answer. Channel 4 doesn’t own global licenses for all of the content it broadcasts via its online Channel 4 platform. It only holds UK licenses. So it needs to protect its borders to avoid paying for global content licenses.
What about content Channel 4 makes? This is a problem too. Amazingly, broadcasters from other countries buy the rights to air Channel 4’s homegrown in their region. Which complicates things further.
Charging broadcasters a premium for the rights to air The Inbetweens (for example) in their territory would be undermind if Channel 4 allowed any internet user with a cheap VPN access to its content.
Fighting back against VPNs is therefor a necessary business exercise for Channel 4. And every other medium-sized broadcaster.
Which is why it’s so important your using the right VPN.
How does Channel 4 block VPNs?
Channel 4 isn’t doing anything particularly clever. It’s following the lead taken by Netflix and BBC iPlayer with regards to its VPN-blocking methodology.
Detecting a VPN just by looking at its IP address is near-impossible. However, when broadcasters start to monitor the average usage from the IP addresses that accessing its servers, the IPs that belong VPNs become a lot easier to detect.
Normal IP address: This would be an average domestic internet connection in the UK. Which means there would be anywhere between 1-8 internet users online at any given time. And it’s unlikely all internet users would be connected to Channel 4 at the same time. 1-2 simultaneous connections to Channel 4 is much more likely.
VPN IP address: VPNs share a relatively small number of IPs with a much larger number of users. Having 10+ users connected to the same server isn’t unusual with cheaper VPN services. The problem here is that lots of users connect to VPNs solely to stream geoblocked content. So the risk of more than 1-2 simultaneous connections to Channel 4 is a lot higher.
When the number of connections from the same IP address becomes abnormal, Channel 4 responds by blacklisted the offending IP address.
This is why you can’t watch Channel 4 with your VPN anymore.
Channel 4 not working with VPN: The EASY workaround
The good news is that the workaround is really easy. All you need to do is use a good VPN and they will do all the hard work for you.
Good VPNs – NordVPN, Ivacy, ExpressVPN, etc. – all play a Game of Cat and mouse with Channel 4 (and other mainstream broadcasters). This means if/when one of their server’s IP addresses is blocked by Channel 4, they react by closing that VPN down and creating a fresh (unblacklisted) IP.
This simple technique, along with keeping the number of users below a broadcaster’s “abnormal threshold”, is all that’s needed to keep VPNs working with Channel 4.
The bad news is that not all VPNs do this. And if you’ve already paid for access to a cheaper VPN that doesn’t use these methods, there’s nothing you can do.
Which VPNs still work with Channel 4?
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
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Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.
Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.
The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.
With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
Check out our full ExpressVPN review.
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2. NordVPN 🥈
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ No logs
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 6-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
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Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.
It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.
Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.
Read our NordVPN review.
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3. Private Internet Access
The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming!
Pros
- ✅ Fast and reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Only 48 server locations
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Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
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4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
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Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.
The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.
For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.
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5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 1-day free trial
- ✅ Reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 7-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
- ❌ Average speed scores
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Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.
From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.
That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.
Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.
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Read next: BBC iPlayer detecting VPN? Here’s how to fix that!
Is watching Channel 4 with a VPN legal?
There are only a handful of countries (spot the authoritarianism link) where using a VPN is illegal; these are: China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, North Korea, Iraq, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Seychelles, Suriname, Namibia, Slovenia, Nicaragua and Tajikistan.
If you’re outside these countries and are using a VPN, you’re legally allowed to do so. However, it’s important to know that using a VPN with Channel 4 may breach the service’s terms of use.
Channel 4 being a free streaming service doesn’t require any sort of subscription. This means you aren’t obliged to accept a contractual agreement with the streaming service meaning there’s less restrictions when it comes to using a VPN with the streaming service.
This means, Channel 4 will try and block your VPN, however it won’t ban your account for using one.