Watch U.K. Election Night 2024 and find out which way the swingometer points as the votes are totted up.
Free-to-air channels BBC One, ITV1 and Channel 4 are providing dedicated UK Election Night coverage around the clock — and you can watch it from anywhere with a VPN and potentially for free.
The 2024 U.K. Election Night will take place on Thursday, July 4.
• FREE — ITVX / BBC iPlayer / Channel 4 (U.K.)
Watch anywhere — Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
For five weeks the Houses of Parliament have lain dormant, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, leader of the opposition Keir Starmer, and all the politicians who usually fill its chambers with noise have instead taken to the streets, pubs, playgrounds and studios to drum up support for their parties ahead of the UK general election.
The polling stations close at 10pm BST on election day, not long after the rolling news coverage of Election Night begins.
The 650 areas – also known as constituencies – that the U.K. is divided into are represented by 650 seats in Parliament, and the political party that wins the greatest number of constituencies gets to form the next government, with their leader appointed Prime Minister. 326 seats are required for an outright majority.
Here's how to watch UK Election Night 2024 live streams from anywhere.
FREE 2024 U.K. Election Night live streams
In the U.K., Election Night coverage is being provided by free-to-air ITV1, BBC One and Channel 4, with live streaming available via their online platforms ITVX, BBC iPlayer and Channel 4. Just note that you'll need a valid U.K. TV license.
Channel 4's coverage runs from 9:45 p.m. to 9 a.m. BST; ITV's coverage runs from 9:50 p.m. to 6 a.m. BST; and the BBC's coverage runs from 9:55 p.m. to 1 p.m. BST.
But what if you're usually based in the U.K. but aren't at home for the election? Perhaps you're on holiday and would prefer to watch British coverage and analysis, rather than what's available locally.
Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below. Our favorite VPN service right now is NordVPN, but you'll find others in our best VPN services list.
How to watch U.K. Election Night from anywhere
If you're not at home for U.K. Election Night, you can still tune in via a virtual private network, or VPN. A VPN makes it appear like you're surfing the web from your home allowing you to access the streaming services you already pay for. It's legal and easy to do.
We've tested many different VPN services and our favorite is NordVPN; it offers superb speeds, excellent customer service and a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out first to see if it's right for you. But you've got other VPN options too, so check out our full list of the best VPN services.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're in the U.S. and want to view a British service, you'd select U.K. from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to ITVX, BBC iPlayer or Channel 4 and watch U.K. Election Night live.
Watch U.K. Election Night 2024 in the U.S.
While the Fourth of July takes precedence, the U.K. election is still an occasion of enormous national interest in the U.S., and as such an array of news channels will be running in-depth coverage. These include CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, ABC, NBC and CBS.
If you've cut the cord, don't worry about missing out on your preferred coverage. You can watch these channels on a cable TV alternative, such as our favorites Sling and Fubo.
Sling carries CNN on all of its plans, while CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, ABC and NBC are available through Sling Blue, though ABC is only available in select locations. Fubo offers all of the channels listed above.
They're also available on YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV and DirecTV Stream.
You can watch your local CBS station's live feed with Paramount Plus with Showtime ($11.99/month) too.
If you're a Brit currently visiting in the U.S., simply download a VPN, such as NordVPN, to unblock ITVX, BBC iPlayer or Channel 4 from anywhere in the world.
Watch UK Election Night 2024 in Australia
In Australia, dedicated U.K. Election Night coverage is being provided by an array of channels, including BBC News, CNN, Sky News and Bloomberg, all of which are available via Foxtel.
If you're a Brit currently abroad in Australia, you can connect to ITVX, BBC iPlayer and Channel 4 with the aid of a VPN, such as NordVPN.
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