Dear Lifehacker, How can I watch Planet Earth 2 legally in Australia? I’ve been eagerly awaiting the second series ever since it was announced. The show is now playing on the BBC but doesn’t appear to be available locally. I refuse to watch low-quality snippets on the internet – it needs to be on my big screen telly in full HD! Do you know when/if it’s coming to the ABC? Thanks, Attenborough Disciple
Dear AD,
For the uninitiated, Planet Earth II is a wildlife documentary series that follows on from the award-winning original. Filmed entirely in 4K with the assistance of drones and narrated by Sir David Attenborough, it is a landmark achievement in documentary filmmaking and may prove to be the tipping point for 4K TVs. Here’s the official trailer:
Planet Earth II will indeed be coming to Aussie free-to-air television in Australia – but not for a while. In a recent statement, the BBC confirmed that Channel Nine will broadcast the show in Australia. However, it won’t premiere until some time in 2017.
This means we’re looking at a wait of at least two months to watch in Australia. By then, it’s conceivable that the series could already be available to buy on Blu-ray or via digital download.
Alternatively, if you have a VPN you can watch the series right now using BBC iPlayer. You can use the web app to watch the show on PCs, tablets, phones, video game consoles and connected TVs.
The legalities of this are a bit dubious, but there are currently no laws in Australia prohibiting the circumvention of geo-blocks. You can find some of our personal VPN recommendations here.
Cheers
Lifehacker
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Comments
3 responses to “Ask LH: When Is Planet Earth 2 Coming To Australia?”
Does that mean we can also look forward to a re-recorded voice over by Karl Stefanovic?
I imagine you won’t be able to stream in 4K over a VPN. I’m am yet to find a VPN provider than can even come close maxing out my connection of 100mbit. the BEST i’ve ever gotten is about 30.