(Editor’s note:This post contains affiliate links. If you sign up with AllPayTV through our link, Dispatches Europe earns a commission at no extra cost to you.)
Ask any British expat what they miss in their first winter abroad, and UK TV comes up sooner than you’d think. Not every day, perhaps. But on a Saturday when football is on, the night a new drama starts or when you just want the news from home, it’s nice to know you can just switch it on.
Most people only discover after they’ve moved their UK TV doesn’t come with them. The apps stop working, the old dish picks up nothing and the advice online contradicts itself. Here’s a simple guide to understand your options wherever in Europe you’ve settled.
Why your UK TV stops at the border
UK broadcasters buy most of their programs and almost all of their sport programs for UK viewers only. While iPlayer, ITVX and the Sky apps are there, they don’t play if you are not physically in the UK.
Since Brexit, the EU rule that allowed subscribers to take their services with them on short trips no longer covers UK services.
Satellite used to be the answer for expats, but the satellites carrying UK channels now aim their signal tightly at the British Isles. In much of Spain, Portugal and southern France, picking it up means purchasing a dish of two meters or more. Even then, reception can drop in bad weather.
Further afield, it doesn’t reach at all.
The usual options and their catches
A big satellite dish. Where the signal still reaches, a large dish can bring in the free channels: BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5. It won’t get you Sky Sports, TNT Sports or Sky Atlantic, and many urbanization and community rules limit the size of dish you can install.
Doing it yourself online. Plenty of expats try to make the UK apps work from abroad with settings, add-ons and homemade setups. Some get it working for a while. Then an app updates, the picture freezes during the match and the household’s most technical person is back on the sofa troubleshooting.
The cheap “everything” box. Market stalls and social media groups sell boxes and subscriptions promising every channel for a few euros a month. These are usually unlicensed streams, so they disappear without warning. There’s no one to call when they do, and several European countries now fine viewers and even prosecute sellers.
The managed option
A fourth route is for people who want the full UK line-up without becoming their own technician. AllPayTV, a UK pay TV provider since 1996, sets customers up with a genuine, fully paid Sky subscription on the original Sky Stream puck from Sky.com, plus a managed router. Both arrive configured and ready to plug in.
Once connected, you get the channels you had at home: BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Sky Atlantic and Sky Cinema, live and on demand. The best news is there’s no dish to install! And if something stops working, an English-speaking support team fixes it.
It costs more than a dodgy box, and it isn’t meant to compete with one. It’s for households that want UK TV to work seamlessly, just as it did before they moved. Customers rate the service Excellent on Trustpilot.
There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee covering the subscription and the deposit (you pay return shipping). After that, it runs month-to-month.
Five questions before you choose
- Which channels do you typically watch? If it’s mainly BBC and ITV dramas, your needs differ from a household that never misses a Premier League weekend.
- How good is your Internet? Any online option requires a stable connection. An Internet line of 10 Mbps or more supports HD comfortably; a patchy rural connection will struggle no matter what you choose.
- Who fixes it when it breaks? Look for a provider with English-speaking support in a time zone close to yours.
- What does it cost? It varies, depending on your selection of services. Add up equipment, installation and the monthly fee and check the minimum contract length.
- Will it last? A service that disappears mid-season costs more in frustration than it saves in fees.
Settling in, with telly sorted
Moving abroad means sacrificing some home comforts, but that’s part of the adventure. Your evening TV program doesn’t have to be one of them. Whether you settle for a big dish and the free channels or go for the full Sky line-up, sort it before the long winter evenings arrive.
Dispatches Europe readers can find out more and get the first month free (plus free shipping) here.
AllPayTV is a UK pay-TV provider (since 1996) that sets British expats abroad up with an authentic Sky subscription on a pre-configured Sky Stream puck and managed router, with English-speaking support.
