The
large American Networks FOX, NBC, ABC and
CBS allow you to watch shows free on their web sites, but only if you
are in the US. If you try to watch from France, a message
will pop-up saying “you are outside the viewing
area”. There are a few ways to get around this.
Disguising
your IP Address
I
use a software product called “Private Proxy” which changes my IP
address to make it appear that I’m in the US, and therefore, I never
have a problem watching the shows directly on the Networks’ web
sites.
Private Proxy works on a subscription basis with fees ranging from
$9.95 a month or $24.95 a quarter depending on which subscription
option you chose.
There
is a free 7 day
trial so you can always try it out. It's easy to
cancel your subscription.
Private Proxy can also disguise your IP address for online shopping. I
found it difficult to buy gifts for family in the US using my US credit
cards (because the site saw the orders coming from France).
Private Proxy solves this problem.
For more information
visit
Anonymous
Surfing with Private ProxyIf you wish to watch British TV then you will need to have a UK IP address can access one for £5 per month. Go to www.my-expat-network.co.uk
The program is really easy to download and if you have problems, the help desk is excellent.
Watching Shows through
Third Party Websites
Before
using Private Proxy I found a few free ways to watch American TV shows
over the Internet, but beware because there are also a large number of
scam sights and it’s very easy to pick up viruses.
My general rule is “never download anything or fill-out any surveys” on
these sites.
My
favorite free site is www.ch131.com
. You can generally
find a good number of shows and even some movies. There is
nothing to download but some of the shows do prompt a gambling site or
some other ad to open in a second window on your computer. Some shows
are very slow to load, and it’s really not suitable for children as
inappropriate ads can pop up randomly.
www.youtube.com is another option for
free viewing . The problem with youtube is that a
one hour TV shows is broken into about 6 different parts which makes
viewing a little annoying especially when you discover that one part is
missing! It can also take a few days for a show to post and
shows are often removed by TV networks due to copyright infringement.