How to watch ITV live anywhere for free

ITV is home to a bevy of top-flight reality shows, some of the world’s most famous soap operas and plenty of quality drama programming. This summer, though, people around the world will be wondering how to watch ITV live from their country because, along with the BBC, ITV is the place to watch Euro 2020 for free.

Unlike the BBC, ITV is ad-supported, and is home to blockbuster reality series Love Island and TOWIE, along with the longest-running soap in the world, Coronation Street. You’ll also get comprehensive regional and local news coverage, and plenty of sport, like the Euros. Both catch-up and live TV can also be accessed from the ITV Hub website.

However, while it’s very easy to watch ITV live in the UK, you might run into problems if you’re outside the country – even if you live in the UK and pay for your TV licence. So, here we’ll explain exactly how to watch ITV live, anywhere in the world.

How to watch ITV live in the UK

If you’re in the UK, it couldn’t be easier to watch ITV live.

If you’ve got a TV, PC, mobile device or streaming device, you’ll be able to get access to every live broadcast from ITV. On your TV, all you need to do is switch over to the correct channel. On PCs you can head over to the ITV Hub and start watching live TV. You can do the same on mobile devices, but the app is better optimised for touchscreens. 

Remember, though, while ITV is ad-supported and doesn’t technically have a subscription price, anyone who uses the service to watch live TV is obliged to pay the UK’s TV licence fee.

How to watch ITV live abroad

Things are a little different when you’re outside the UK.

Those not in the UK will find that all of ITV’s streaming content is unavailable. This is thanks to distribution rights and the aforementioned TV licence fee. However, if you’re out of the country there’s a nifty trick you can use to get around this.

If you sign up for the best VPN, you’ll be able to change your location to the UK and trick the ITV website into thinking that you’re in the country. Our top UK VPN is ExpressVPN thanks to its powerful apps, excellent unblocking power, and comprehensive 30-day money-back guarantee. 

So, for example, if you’re in Europe visiting family or for work, you won’t be able to watch ITV live, even though you’ve paid your TV licence. But, by using ExpressVPN you can select a UK server and virtually relocate. 

How to sign up to ITV

On your TV, you don’t need to sign up or input any information. However, if you’ve never used ITV Hub before, you’ll need to make a free account to watch on your PC or mobile.

All you need to submit is a date of birth, an email address, and a UK postcode (a random postcode can easily be found if, for any reason, you don’t want to submit your own). 

You’ll be asked to verify your email address before you watch anything online.

From there, all you need to do is either click ‘Watch Live’ to watch ITV live, or pick something to stream on-demand. 

How to sign up to ITV outside the UK

Without a VPN you won’t be able to sign up or watch anything from ITV if you’re outside the UK.

If you want to get access, all you need to do is sign up to a service like ExpressVPN, change your location to the UK, and head over to the ITV website as usual. Then sign up as outlined above with a date of birth, email and postcode, and get watching.

Seeing as there’s no payment necessary to watch ITV, anyone from anywhere can sign up and sign in if they’ve used a VPN to spoof their location.

How to watch ITV live on Roku

If you’re a Roku user, it’s super simple to get set up with ITV Hub. All you need to do is download the ITV Hub channel, sign in with your free account and get watching.

However, if you want to use a VPN to watch ITV on your Roku outside the UK, you’ll have to install a router VPN. This is because Roku devices don’t support VPNs themselves. It’s a little more complicated than on a desktop or smartphone, but our top choices Surfshark and ExpressVPN make it super easy with simple set-ups and clear walkthroughs.

You can also set up a virtual router if you fancy a less permanent solution – all you need to do is follow our guide on how to set up a virtual router.

How to watch ITV live on Fire TV stick

ITV Hub is available on the Amazon Appstore, and all you need to do is download the app and sign in with your relevant credentials.

Plus, because the Fire Stick is Android based, it supports VPNs. If you want to watch ITV on Fire Stick outside the UK, check out our guide to the best Fire Stick VPN services available.

Why should you use a VPN to watch ITV live?

The first and most important reason to use a VPN with ITV is to get access to free content including tons of Euro 2020 matches, anywhere in the world. So, if you’re in Canada, the US, or anywhere else, you can connect to a UK server and log in to ITV as if you were in your living room.

There’s more to it than that, though. If you have a good Internet connection but still find that ITV is buffering or playing at a low quality, it could be because you’re being subjected to network throttling.

This happens when your ISP detects high-bandwidth usage of your connection and intentionally slows you down to make sure everyone gets a similar speed. High-bandwidth uses include torrenting, gaming, and, of course, streaming HD content.

A VPN anonymizes what you’re using your connection for, which means your provider can’t tell you’re streaming. Subsequently, it can’t choose to slow down your connection.

Plus, a VPN gives unrivalled privacy and security for any kind of browsing, so if you want to watch ITV live abroad as well as keep your personal info safe, a secure VPN is the perfect solution.

What is the best VPN for the ITV?