Watch BBCiPlayer, US Netflix and more in Singapore

Missing your favourite TV shows from back home? No worries Tekkie Help can get you access in no time. There are many solutions out there and it can be a bit of a mine field to navigate through them for the less technically savvy or time-poor people. Read on to find out the main option available to you.

We get a lot of calls from expats quizzing us on the best ways for them to see their favourite TV shows from back home. Let’s face it, cable TV here is not great – full of adverts and broadcasts of old series. There are many solutions out there but it can be a bit of a mine field to navigate through them for the less technically savvy or time-poor people. Here is a summary of the main options for viewing great TV here in Singapore to help you work out what is the best solution for you and your family.

Singapore Netflix

Many people jumped for joy earlier in 2016 when Netflix was finally launched in Singapore. However, there has been slight disappointment with the current content as it lacks some of the popular series. There is also a question over the level of censorship that may be enforced. Breaking Bad wouldn’t quite be the same without the drugs!! There is currently a free 1-month trial for those of you who are interested in seeing what Netflix Singapore has to offer.

MyRepublic or ViewQwest

A hassle free way to access to International TV content is to choose either MyRepublic or ViewQwest as your internet service provider (ISP). Like Singtel and StarHub, both these companies provide high speed internet over fibre at speeds of up to 2Gbps. Where they differ is that they both offer an add-on service which provides direct access to a number of popular content sites (Hulu, BBCiPlayer etc) through your internet browser. Usually in Singapore when you try to go to such pages one gets an error message saying “we are sorry this content is not available in your region”. Content can then be streamed directly to your TV using a media player (such as AppleTV) or directly plugging your computer into your TV. Unfortunately though, in recent days, both Internet service providers have restricted access to US Netflix but access to other content is still available.

In our opinion, MyRepublic is a better choice as it is only $49.99 per month for 1Gbps compared to $73 per month for the same speed from ViewQwest. From experience the internet is fast, stable and we personally enjoy catching up on all the latest UK dramas. Tekkie Help partners with MyRepublic and so we can assist you (free of charge) in the application process.

VPN or DNS service

Another way to work around regional restrictions is to install Virtual Private Network (VPN) which lets you connect through a third-party server and makes it look, to the external world, like your computer is actually located in the France, Australia or indeed anywhere in the world that you choose. The downsides of watching through a VPN tunnel are that there are often bottlenecks in the streaming path, which result in reduced picture quality and buffering. Also, if you want to access US Netflix, some VPNs in recent weeks have clamped down on VPN access.
An alternative to a VPN is to subscribe to a DNS (Domain Name System) service, such as UnoTelly (approx. $6 per month). After set-up, when you access sites with geo-blocks, it automatically bypasses the blocks by providing with a local IP address in a similar way to VPNs. A DNS service offers a more seamless viewing experience as streaming speed is generally higher and also US Netflix will not be blocked.

Sing Expat TV™

Sing Expat TV™ is a way to watch premium British TV without the use of a VPN or DNS service. Sing Expat TV has its own servers to enable their service to be watched from almost anywhere in the world as long as you have a stable and strong Internet connection. The service starts from $49 per month if you just access the content on your computer or mobile device (you can then stream it to the TV using AppleTV or connecting your device directly into the TV). For additional cost they do provide a set top box which connects directly to your TV.

When you access the software player it features a full TV guide with a 7 day on-demand catch-up feature. You can also record your favorite shows while you are watching them to keep them for another days viewing. In our opinion this solution is fairly pricey and limits users to only British content. You would need to deploy another solution to access the likes of Netflix, American football etc.

Downloading shows via Torrent sites

By far the cheapest way of getting your fix of international TV shows is to download it using a torrent application. Yes, it may infringe copyright agreements and yes, a lot of people do it. If you’re going to do it, make sure you get a decent antivirus and antispyware program on your computer. You can get your pirated TV shows and movies via torrent sites, such as “BitTorrent” or “Vuse”. It can be a bit tricky to set up and whether you feel it is ethical or not is up to you!

In summary, there are lots of ways to get to see great TV here in Singapore. It’s little wonder so many people are “cutting the cord” when there is virtually unlimited, on-demand, commercial-free entertainment at your fingertips. The solution you choose will ultimately depend on what you want to see. It may be that you It may be that you use a combination of methods to let all the family get their TV fix!

If you need any help setting up one of these solutions, or would simply like some advice, just call Sarah from Tekkie Help on 81138682 or click here for our pricing information.

Tekkie Help is an expat run company that is here to help anyone that needs support with their technology. Whether it is because they are frustrated with trying to get it to do what they want, baffled with how it works or simply do not have the time. They have a team of Tekkie Specialists on call, 7 days a week, to come to your home or office to help with anything IT related such as, Wi-Fi optimisation, hardware and software repairs, creating a robust back up, data organisation/ recovery etc. More information can be found here.