Watching shows like The Bold and the Beautiful, Survivor, or Big Brother is impossible without CBS access. If you found yourself on British soil, you’ll have a nasty revelation – you can’t watch CBS in the UK. We can imagine the look on your face when this hits you.
Well, rest your face a bit – you don’t have to get your eyes teary. What if we told you can watch CBS in the United Kingdom despite its US-only availability? The trick that many people use is straightforward and revolves around using a VPN, changing your IP address to the US, and unblocking the site.
If you’re unsure how everything works, no worries. Let’s see how to unblock CBS in the UK and watch it limitlessly using a VPN.
How to Watch CBS in the UK: A Detailed Guide
CBS offers plenty of exciting content. As long as you’ve subscribed to it via a TV provider, you can also watch Live TV. The best way to watch CBS live is via YouTube TV or Paramount Plus which you can also use abroad with a VPN.
Subscribing to CBS abroad is a topic we’ll cover later in case you want access to Live TV.
This guide will apply to Americans in the UK who want to reclaim their access to CBS. We’ll assume you already have a subscription or don’t want Live TV. In this case, people often use a VPN, such as NordVPN, which is known to have over 1,900 US servers capable of streaming.
Watch CBS in the UK With NordVPN
This is key to unblocking CBS in the UK or anywhere else. With such powerful servers, unlimited bandwidth, and the fastest speeds, accessing CBS in the United Kingdom will be a breeze. Don’t forget it’s also risk-free thanks to a 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans.
Here’s how to use NordVPN for this purpose:
- Get NordVPN’s subscription. You can opt for 2-year plans with the most significant discounts and save more than 70%, paying only three quids a month.
- Install NordVPN on the device you’ll use to watch CBS in the UK.
- Open NordVPN’s app and log in with your email and password.
- Connect to a server in the US. You can do this by clicking on “More Connection Options“, finding the United States on the list, and clicking on it.
- Finally, go to CBS, sign in via the selected TV provider, and enjoy watching it live. Alternatively, sign up with your email and a random American ZIP code and watch on-demand shows, movies, and entertainment programs.
Subscribing to CBS in the UK for Live TV Access
CBS is an American-only channel, which means it won’t work abroad. Worse yet, the subscription process usually must take place in the United States, with – and this is more important – an AMERICAN payment method. Again, this applies to watching Live TV.
What if you’re in the UK?
Well, if you’re a Brit, you likely won’t have a US payment method, so don’t expect CBS to work out of the box. However, if you’re natively from the USA, you can still make it work. As explained, CBS will work via TV providers, such as:
- Spectrum
- Hulu
- Cox
- DirecTV Stream
- YouTube TV
- Paramount+
- Verizon, and many more…
If you have a subscription to some of them, it’s easy to sign in and watch CBS live in the UK. If not, you’ll have to subscribe keeping in mind the American payment method will be required. This won’t be an obstacle if you have acquaintances in the USA willing to lend you their credit card. Otherwise, it’s almost an unskippable obstacle.
We recommend subscribing to Paramount Plus, which still supports gift cards. Once you pay for the subscription with the US Paramount+ gift card, you’ll get immediate access to CBS. From here, you’ll connect to NordVPN’s American server, sign in to Paramount+, and watch CBS live in the UK.
For on-demand content, you won’t have to go through these steps. As you can see above, it’s enough to provide your name, email, postal code, etc. This sign-up process takes a minute and you can access all of the on-demand shows and movies for FREE.
Best VPNs for Watching CBS in the UK in 2026
Let’s see what are the best VPNs you can use for unblocking CBS in the United Kingdom. All of them were tested by our experts for speed, security, streaming abilities, and much more.
1. NordVPN
We stated that NordVPN is the #1 option and so far, we haven’t changed our opinion. You have more information about it in our NordVPN test. In short, it has all you need for endless streaming of CBS in the UK and not worrying about buffering and bandwidth limits.
NordVPN’s Features
NordVPN has nearly 2,000 servers in the US. They have 10 Gbps ports, which grants excellent speed and performance. This provider uses NordLynx, a proprietary protocol made for streaming prowess, privacy, and security. Such a protocol can do much more for you.
For instance, NordVPN can unblock Netflix US and let you access some of the most popular blockbusters. Another perk is NordVPN’s Smart DNS which includes ample US DNS addresses for streaming across all non-VPN-comaptible devices.
We appreciate NordVPN’s efforts in terms of compatibility. It works on any system and offers 10 simultaneous connections. Not to mention its ease of use, which while not on ExpressVPN’s level, is still pretty good if you’re a beginner. Other features are here too.
Meshnet is ideal for remote access, a Double VPN will double your encryption, and Threat Protection can block ads. NordVPN even has a VPN browser extension with location spoofing for easier site unblocking. That’s how you can also use Pluto TV outside the US.
Price & Plans
If you’re willing to give it a shot, it’s best to aim for its long-term 2-year deals. They start at a meager $3.2 a month and provide the most savings. 1-year and monthly plans are a tad more expensive but all offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so again, it’s risk-free.
2. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN packs quite a lot in its elementary, beginner-friendly apps. It’s our #2 choice to watch CBS in the UK, with the same great features from NordVPN. They include unlimited bandwidth, streaming optimization, and servers in over 105 countries, including the US.
ExpressVPN’s Features
While not better than NordVPN, ExpressVPN is predominantly awesome! Its 22+ locations in the US can unblock CBS in the UK in seconds. Connecting to any server will yield top speeds whose reductions are never above 20% compared to your native speed.
ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol is the driving force, keeping things buttery-smooth. This VPN uses advanced 256-bit encryption to keep you safe, while its kill switch prevents data leaks. Even if you want to watch porn with the VPN, all your obscenity will be private.
Now, if CBS is your only interest, you’ll be happy to find MediaStreamer here. It’s a nifty Smart DNS feature with US addresses not only for CBS but also for Netflix US, Prime Video, ABC, and other channels and streaming services. We’ll mention its splendid applications.
ExpressVPN even works on Smart TVs and can be set up on Firestick for added convenience. Not to mention its desktop and mobile apps which are some of the simplest we’ve used. ExpressVPN leaves almost no room for imperfections, which is why it’s so revered.
Price & Plans
Sadly, this provider costs more than NordVPN. With a 48% discount thanks to 3 free months for its annual plan, you can enjoy a monthly price of roughly $6.8. Despite costing more, ExpressVPN is no less impressive, and above everything, risk-free the same way as NordVPN.
3. Private Internet Access
Accessing the internet privately should be your goal when using a VPN. Well, Private Internet Access agrees, offering a VPN for unlimited devices with respectable performance, feature-packed apps, and over 30,000 worldwide servers. What’s in it for you? A lot!
PIA VPN’s Features
For the start, PIA is the most popular US VPN thanks to its American origin. Because of this, it offers servers in all 51 states, ensuring you can unblock CBS in the UK faster than you blink. Private Internet Access has apps equipped with MACE to simultaneously block ads.
To this, we’ll add its 10 Gbps servers taking full advantage of WireGuard. This is immensely important for smooth streaming and watching 4K content. Apart from that, PIA doesn’t hold back in the torrenting department, as all 30,000 servers are P2P-optimized.
Like ExpressVPN, it has capable Smart DNS to permit access to prevalent streaming services. We love its Multi-hop connections for two encryption layers. Additionally, optional dedicated IP addresses will help you bypass CAPTCHA and avoid IP blacklisting typical for shared IPs.
Private Internet Access has streaming-ready US servers that you’ll find in the app easily. However, our experience has shown that even “normal” servers will work with CBS. Don’t mind its lack of Firestick app. PIA has many other qualities, one of which is the price.
Price & Plans
This is the cheapest VPN usable for CBS in the UK. At the price of approximately $2.2 a month for its 2-year plan, it beats even NordVPN at its “affordability” game. Explore PIA’s website below to stay in touch with its latest and greatest discounts and save even more.
Can Free VPNs Unblock CBS in the UK?
Unfortunately, we have to answer negatively. Free VPNs and streaming aren’t the best pair. They’re usually limited regarding bandwidth and speed, making high-res streaming stuttery and full of frequent buffering. This is a shame considering most free VPNs have US servers.
Proton VPN and Hide.me are some of them. They’re excellent providers overall but unoptimized for streaming unless you pay for their premium plans. You can try out these two but most likely, they’ll be detected by CBS and you still won’t be able to use it abroad.
Watching CBS in the UK also comes down to streaming prowess, which, as explained, free providers won’t have. Not to mention that most of them store logs and violate your privacy, so if you care about that, you likely won’t want to mess with them. What’s the workaround?
If you’re temporarily abroad, you can use NordVPN to watch CBS in the UK for free. Remember the 30-day money-back guarantee? Well, it’s a good time to use it in this scenario. If you’ve moved to the UK indefinitely, you’ll have to pay for a VPN.
We explained the cost of VPNs in a separate guide but to cut it short, you won’t have to spend a fortune. Take PIA as an example and you’ll see that a good CBS VPN won’t cost more than $2.5 a month. You can’t even get a full cup of coffee at this price anymore.
Conclusion
Let’s not make a fuss out of simple things. Do you want to access CBS in the UK? In that case, use NordVPN, ExpressVPN, or Private Internet Access to get a US IP address. By “pretending” you’re in the US, you can easily access CBS no matter where you are.
For its Live TV, you’ll have to have a subscription to one of many American TV providers.
If not, you’ll still be able to watch on-demand content. Avoid free VPNs because they won’t work and stick to our risk-free providers instead. Now go ahead and revel in hundreds of CBS classics, all available at your fingertips.
Unblock CBS in the UK with NordVPN
Please note that we do not encourage you to do any of this, as it may go against CBS’s terms of use.