Hit dating show Love Island is back for another winter installment of this romantic reality phenomenon. The UK show is set in South Africa for season 9, with new contestants staying 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 OG 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.
ITV
When does Winter Love Island 2023 start?
It depends on where you live.
In the UK, season 9 of Love Island (UK) started Monday, Jan. 16. The series is set to run for eight weeks with new episodes broadcast every day at 9 p.m. in the UK. (That’s 1 p.m. PT and 4 p.m. ET in the US and that’s 8 a.m. AEDT that next day in Australia.) Saturday night’s episodes will feature “unseen bits” from that week’s action.
Outside the UK, Love Island (UK) is also currently available in Australia on Channel 9’s on-demand service, 9Now. It will be carried on Hulu in the US after a two-week delay, starting Jan. 30.
How to watch Winter Love Island 2023 from anywhere on VPN
So what if you’re traveling outside your home country and want to enjoy the show or 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.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the show. If you find yourself unable to watch locally, 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 CNET’s Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it easy to virtually change your location. Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals.
Sarah Tew/CNET
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. But you can 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.
Stream for free in the UK
ITV
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. You’ll also be able to watch the show online for free via the network’s on demand streaming service ITVX (formerly ITV Hub) from anywhere.
Stream in Australia
Watch in the US
Hulu will 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 aired 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 trial 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.
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 viewing 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 in to 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 network’s 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.
