Most of our radio programmes and podcasts are available internationally, but occasionallywe need to restrict programmes to within the UK. Usually,it’s sporting events that are affected (have a look at ourWhy isn't all sports coverage available?page) as rights restrictions prevent us from distributing some programmes outside the UK. Sometimes other types of programmes may also be restricted.
So if you're hearinga message advising that“This content is unavailable due to technical or rights reasons,”there's no play button for an on-demand programme and a message displaying“Not Available,”or you're hearing advertisementson podcasts,it might be because we think you're outside the UK.
Why do you think I'm outside the UK?
There are several reasons why we think you're outside the UK.The most common are either:
- Your IP address, which is the address websites use to determine where in the world you are, not being registered in the UK
- You are using a VPN (Virtual Private Network), proxy, or similar service which masks your IP address
But you can do something about it.
This page will explain what can be done and will also list other possible reasons why this could be happening and what to do.
- Using a VPN or proxy? Try disabling it.
If you are using a VPN or proxy service and are in the UK, try disabling it to see if that helps. If we detect you might be using a VPN, you’ll be unable to play UK-restricted programmes.This is because we need to be confident you're in the UK, and if you're using a VPN or proxy, we can't detect reliably where you are.
- Maybe your IP addressisn't registered in the UK?
If your ISP (Internet Service Provider) has supplied you with a recently created or newly sourced IP address, it may be that it hasn't been registered correctly or sometimes it may just take a few weeks for the various databases across the internet and our own database to be updated to recognise the IP address as being located within the UK.
You should check with your ISP whether this could be the case before deciding to contact our support team.
- Check your IP address yourself
While not definitive, there are various IP checking websites, such asor for example, that will list your IP address, where it believes you are, whether any services (such as a VPN) are being used, and what ISP the address is registered with.
If those details are different to what you believe are correct, contact your ISP as it's possible the IP address has been recently obtained by your ISP, or it may not be registered correctly, or is awaiting certain databases to be added, which could take a few weeks.
If you are going to contact our support team, please include your ISP details.
- Web accelerator
If you're using aweb accelerator, try disabling it to see if that helps.
- Work computer
Some companies and organisations might have an internal network which routes data outside the UK. It's worth checking with your company's IT support to confirm.
- Tor Network
If you are using or participating in the Tor network, be aware that you need to use a Tor relay node for our systems to confirm you are in the UK.
- Using a mobile device?
In addition to the above guidance, check whether any data reduction features are set in your browser settings as some mobile browsers route data outside the UK when data reduction features are used.
Chrome may refer to this as ‘Reduce data usage’ in Bandwidth Management and Opera may refer to this as ‘off road’ or ‘Turbo mode’ depending on your browser version. And remember to check your browser is up to date.You can also try another browser.
Also, data compression apps may route data outside the UK, so try disabling them.
- Subscribed to podcasts?
On 1st May 2018, the 鶹Լ introduced advertising on podcasts delivered outside the UK. If podcasts you’re subscribed to download automatically when they become available and you spot the odd podcast with advertisements even though you're in the UK, it's possible that one of the above circumstances (like being on a VPN enabled network) may have occurred when the podcast was downloaded.