How to Watch 2026 National Television Awards (NTAs) in Canada

The National Television Awards are back for a 31st year, and Joel Dommett is hosting for the sixth year running. Here’s the catch: ITVX is a UK-only service, so opening it from Toronto or Vancouver gets you a “not available in your region” message instead of the red carpet.

The good news is that the block is based on your IP address, not your passport. A VPN swaps your Canadian IP for a UK one, and ITVX’s ad-supported tier is completely free to sign up for. Between the two, you can watch the whole ceremony live without paying a cent for the stream itself.

This guide covers the free route, what time the show actually starts in each Canadian time zone, who’s nominated, and what to do if ITVX gives your VPN trouble.

Key Takeaways

• The 2026 NTAs air live on ITV1 and ITVX (STV and STV Player in Scotland) at 8:00pm BST on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, from The O2 in London.
• ITVX is geo-blocked outside the UK. A VPN connected to a UK server unblocks it.
• ITVX’s free, ad-supported tier costs nothing. You just need an email address and any valid UK postcode at sign-up; no payment card is required.
• In Eastern time, that’s 3:00pm ET; in Pacific time, it’s 12:00pm PT. This is a UK primetime slot, so it lands mid-afternoon across Canada.
• I recommend NordVPN, followed by ExpressVPN and Surfshark for reliability against ITVX’s blocks. Use their 30-day money-back guarantee if you only want it for this one broadcast.
• If the timing doesn’t work for you, ITVX typically has the ceremony available on demand shortly after it airs, so you can watch later the same day with the same VPN setup.

Quick steps to Watch 2026 NTAs for free in Canada:

1. Sign up and download a VPN that can unblock ITVX. NordVPN is my top pick.
2. Now open the VPN app, sign in, and connect to a UK server (London or Manchester both work well).
3. Go to itv.com/itvx and create a free account using any valid UK postcode. You can easily find a UK postal code on Google.
4. Search for the National TV Awards and start streaming at 8:00pm BST (3:00pm ET) on September 8.

What Are the 2026 National Television Awards?

The NTAs are Britain’s biggest television awards show, and the unique thing about them is that every winner is decided entirely by public vote, not a panel of judges. This year’s ceremony is being held live at The O2 in London on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, with Joel Dommett hosting for a sixth consecutive year.

Voting happened in two rounds. The longlist opened in May, and shortlist voting ran from August 18 until noon BST on the day of the ceremony itself. Winners are revealed live on air, so nobody, including the nominees, knows the results ahead of time.

How to Watch the 2026 NTAs in Canada for Free

ITVX is where the ceremony streams online, and it’s the easiest way to catch it live from Canada. Here’s the honest breakdown of how it works.

Option 1: ITVX with a VPN (free)

ITVX’s free tier includes ITV1’s live channel and comes with ads, the same way it would if you were watching in the UK. Signing up costs nothing. ITVX asks for a UK postcode during registration, but it doesn’t verify it, so any valid UK postcode format works. You won’t need a UK payment method for the free tier.

The one thing standing between you and the stream is your Canadian IP address. Connect your VPN to a UK server first, then create your ITVX account and load the stream. In our testing from Toronto, a London server had ITVX’s live channel loading in under two minutes.

Option 2: Catch it on demand

If 3:00pm ET or noon PT doesn’t fit your day, ITVX usually posts the full ceremony on demand not long after it finishes airing. The same VPN and account will get you in later that evening or the next day.

What Time Do the NTAs Start in Canada?

The ceremony airs at 8:00pm BST. Because the UK is several hours ahead of every Canadian time zone in September, that lands in the early-to-mid afternoon here, not primetime. Worth knowing before you plan your evening around it.

Past ceremonies have run close to two and a half hours, so expect the show to wrap around 5:30pm ET or 2:30pm PT.

Who’s Nominated at the 2026 NTAs?

The full shortlist lives on nationaltvawards.com, but a few categories to watch:

• New Drama is a tight race between A Woman of Substance, Death Valley, The Other Bennet Sister, The Girlfriend, The War Between the Land & The Sea, and Riot Women.
• Returning Drama features Blue Lights, Grace, Death in Paradise, Call the Midwife, Shetland, and The Night Manager.
• TV Presenter is wide open after Gary Lineker broke Ant and Dec’s 23-year winning streak last year. Ant and Dec, Alison Hammond, Claudia Winkleman, Alan Carr, Bradley Walsh, and Joel Dommett are all long-listed again.
• Factual Entertainment sees Sir David Attenborough nominated across five separate shows in his centenary year.

ITVX Not Working with a VPN? Try This

A few things to check if the stream won’t load or keeps buffering:

• Switch servers. ITVX occasionally flags a specific UK server IP. Try a different city, like Manchester instead of London.
• Clear your cache. Old location data cached in your browser or app can override a fresh VPN connection.
• Turn off any ad blocker. ITVX won’t play video if it detects one running.
• Restart the app after connecting. Some devices load ITVX’s region check before the VPN fully connects, so open the VPN first, then the ITVX app.

Can I use a free VPN to watch 2026 National TV Awards on ITVX from Canada?

It’s tempting to reach for a free VPN for a one-night broadcast, but it usually backfires:

• Blocked IPs. Free VPN servers are shared by thousands of people and heavily flagged, so ITVX blocks them on sight far more often than paid servers.
• Speed throttling. Free tiers cap your bandwidth, which turns a live HD broadcast into a slideshow right when it matters most.
• Privacy risks. Some free VPNs log your activity and sell it, and a few have been caught bundling malware.

The smarter “free” move is a paid VPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee. You get full speed and reliable unblocking for the broadcast, then a full refund if you cancel inside the window.