Hit dating show Love Island is back for another winter installment of the romantic reality phenomenon. The UK show is heading to South Africa for season 9, with 12 new contestants set to stay at a villa on the Ludus Magnus estate in Franschhoek, part of the town’s “millionaire’s row.”
Along with a new HQ, the season introduces a new host, with model turned TV presenter Maya Jama taking over from Laura Whitmore in the original version of this now-international show. Contestants entering the villa for this run include the show’s first partially-sighted participant, a semi-professional soccer player, a biomedical student and a farmer.
Get fully prepped for a winter of romance by following our guide to watching Winter Love Island 2023 from anywhere in the world.
The cast of Winter Love Island 2023.
ITVThe season 9 of Love Island (UK) starts Monday, Jan. 16, in the UK.
The new season is set to run for eight weeks with new episodes broadcast every day on ITV2 in the UK and on its streaming service ITVX.
Outside the UK, Love Island (UK) will be carried on Hulu in the US after a two-week delay — so starting Jan. 30 — and on Channel 9’s on-demand service, 9Now in Australia, starting Jan. 18.
But what if you’re traveling outside your home country and want to enjoy the show, or just want an added layer of privacy for streaming? There is an option that doesn’t require searching the internet for a sketchy website: You can use a VPN, or virtual private network.
Here’s how you can watch all episodes of Winter Love Island 2023, from anywhere in the world with a VPN.
When does Winter Love Island 2023 start?
The new season starts on ITV2 on Jan. 16, at 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. in the UK and 8 a.m. Jan. 17 AEDT in Australia).
New episodes will air every every day at the same time on ITV2 for eight weeks, with Saturday night’s episode set to feature “unseen bits” from that week’s action.
How to watch Winter Love Island 2023 from anywhere on VPN
If you find yourself unable to watch locally, that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. Plus it’s a great idea for when you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
Most VPNs, like our CNET’s Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it easy to do this. Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals.
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ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Watch Winter Love Island 2023 in the US
Hulu is set to broadcast the new season in the US. The bad news is that there’s a wait in store, with the streaming service not set to start showing episodes until two weeks after they’ve been shown in the UK. So you need to wait until Jan. 30.
New Hulu subscribers can take advantage of a Hulu free trial for 30-days on its With-Ads or No-Ads plan, after the trail ends the service will set you back $7.99 a month. There’s also the option of the Disney Plus bundle with Hulu thrown in from $9.99 a month.
Stream for free in the UK
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Fans in the UK can watch every episode of Love Island season 9 for free. The show is exclusive to ITV, with episodes being shown every evening on ITV2 at 9 p.m. GMT. That also means you’ll be able to watch the show online for free via the network’s on demand streaming service ITVX (formerly ITV Hub) from anywhere.
Stream Love Island season 9 in Australia
Channel 9’s on-demand service, 9Now, has been the place to watch Love Island UK in the past and that’s the case for this season, starting Jan. 18.
Quick tips for streaming the Winter Love Island 2023 using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — experience and success may vary.
- If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
- If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
