Rivals is not currently available on Disney Plus in most regions, and the streaming rights belong to a different service

Rivals, the 2024 British drama series based on Jilly Cooper's novel, streams on Peacock in the United States, not Disney Plus. If you are searching for it on Disney Plus and cannot find it, this is why — Disney Plus does not carry the show in your region. The show is exclusive to Peacock's streaming library.

In other countries, Rivals may appear on different platforms. In the United Kingdom and some other regions, it airs on Channel 4 and streams through their BritBox partnership. The streaming home for any show depends on which company bought the rights for that specific country, and those rights do not overlap across services.

If you have a Peacock subscription, you can watch Rivals there. If you do not, you would need to subscribe to Peacock separately — it is not included with a Disney Plus membership.

Key Takeaways

  • Rivals streams on Peacock in the United States, not on Disney Plus, because Peacock owns the exclusive streaming rights in that region.
  • Different countries have different streaming homes for Rivals — check what service carries it in your location before searching.
  • A Disney Plus subscription does not include access to Peacock, so you would need a separate Peacock account to watch the show.
  • If you are outside the United States, the show may be on BritBox, Channel 4, or another local streaming service depending on your country.

How streaming rights work across different services

Television shows and films are licensed to individual streaming services by region. A production company or distributor sells the right to stream a show in the United States to one service, the right to stream it in the United Kingdom to another, and so on. Disney Plus, Peacock, Netflix, and other platforms each own different pieces of the world.

Rivals was produced by the British broadcaster Channel 4 and distributed internationally by All3Media. Peacock bought the rights to stream it in the United States. Channel 4 and BritBox handle the United Kingdom. This is standard practice — the same show can live on five different services depending on where you are.

These rights agreements are exclusive, meaning Peacock is the only major streaming service in the United States that can legally offer Rivals. Disney Plus cannot add it to their catalog without buying those rights from Peacock, which is unlikely to happen because Peacock paid for exclusivity specifically to draw subscribers to their own service.

Checking what region your Disney Plus account is set to

Your Disney Plus account is tied to the country where you created it or where you currently are. If you created your account in the United States but are now traveling or living elsewhere, your account region may not match your physical location, and this can affect what shows appear in your search results.

To check your account region, open Disney Plus, go to your profile settings, and look for "Account" or "Subscription." The country listed there is the region your account uses. If you want to change it, you may need to update your payment method and billing address to match a different country — Disney Plus will not let you switch regions without doing this.

If you are in the United States and your account is set to the United States, Rivals will not appear because it is not licensed to Disney Plus here. Changing your region will not help you find it on Disney Plus; it will only change which other shows are available to you.

Where to watch Rivals in different countries

In the United States, Rivals streams on Peacock. You can watch it with a Peacock Premium subscription or higher.

In the United Kingdom, Rivals aired on Channel 4 and is available through BritBox, which is owned by Channel 4, ITV, and BBC. You can also purchase episodes or seasons through digital retailers like Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV.

In Canada, the show streams on CTV+. In Australia, it is available on Stan. Other countries may have the show on local broadcasters or streaming services — check your country's major streaming platforms or search for "where to watch Rivals [your country]" to find the current home.

Streaming rights change over time as licenses expire and are renewed, so if a show is not on a service today, it may appear there later. However, Rivals is relatively new, and these initial licensing agreements typically last several years.

Using a VPN will not help you watch Rivals on Disney Plus

A VPN (virtual private network) masks your location and makes it appear as though you are in a different country. Some people use VPNs to access shows that are available in other regions. However, using a VPN to access Disney Plus violates Disney's terms of service, and Disney actively blocks VPN traffic to prevent this.

Even if you connect to a VPN and set it to a country where Rivals might be available on Disney Plus (which it is not anywhere), Disney Plus will likely detect the VPN and either block your access or log you out. More importantly, doing this breaks the service agreement you made when you signed up, and Disney could suspend or cancel your account.

The legal way to watch Rivals is to subscribe to the service that holds the rights in your region — Peacock in the United States, BritBox in the United Kingdom, or whichever platform carries it where you are.

What to do if you cannot find a show on Disney Plus

When a show does not appear in your Disney Plus search, start by confirming that the show actually streams on Disney Plus. Search the title on Google along with "where to watch" or "streaming" — this will tell you which services carry it. Many people assume a show is on Disney Plus because they saw it advertised or because they remember it being on Disney, but not all shows are available on the streaming service.

If the show does stream on Disney Plus but you still cannot find it, try these steps: clear your Disney Plus app cache (go to Settings on your device, find the Disney Plus app, and select "Clear Cache"), log out and log back in, or try searching on a different device. Sometimes the app's search function lags or displays outdated results.

If you are outside the United States, confirm that your account region matches where you are. If you are in a country where Disney Plus does not operate, you will not be able to use the service at all, even with a VPN.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Rivals ever come to Disney Plus?

It is unlikely. Peacock paid for exclusive streaming rights in the United States, and those agreements typically last several years. For Rivals to appear on Disney Plus, Peacock would have to sell or not renew those rights, which is not a common occurrence with popular shows. You would need to subscribe to Peacock to watch it in the US.

Can I watch Rivals on Disney Plus if I travel to another country?

No. Your Disney Plus account region is based on where you created it or your billing address, not your current location. If you travel, your account stays in the same region. In countries where Rivals is not on Disney Plus, it will not appear for you even if you are physically there.

Is Rivals available on any free streaming service?

Rivals is not available for free on major ad-supported streaming services in the United States. It is exclusive to Peacock, which requires a paid subscription. In the United Kingdom, you may be able to watch it free on Channel 4's website if you have a UK TV license, but this is not available outside the UK.

Why do different streaming services have different shows?

Streaming rights are sold by region and are exclusive. A production company licenses a show to one service per country to maximize the price they can charge. This is why the same show appears on different platforms depending on where you live. It is the same reason a film might be on Netflix in one country and Amazon Prime in another.

What if my search is broken and Rivals actually is on Disney Plus?

Try clearing your app cache, logging out and back in, or searching on a web browser instead of the app. If you still cannot find it after those steps, it is not on Disney Plus in your region. You can also check Disney Plus's official help page or contact their support team to confirm whether a specific show is available in your country.