If you’ve been using a VPN to watch AbemaTV and it has stopped working, the streaming service has managed to identify the IP address your VPN has given you and has blocked it.
This has happened because AbemaTV tries to prevent VPNs from connecting to its service, and your VPN isn’t good enough to get around these blocks.
The good news is there are a number of fixes you can try to resolve AbemaTV not working with VPN.
This article will explain how to fix AbemaTV not working with VPN so you can watch the Japanese streaming service reliably again.
See also:
- Crunchyroll not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes! (May 2023)
- Boomerang not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes! (May 2023)
AbemaTV not working with VPN: Fixes
Delete Cookies
The first thing to do when trying to fix AbemaTV not working with VPN is deleting your cookies.
Cookies are small files used by your device to streamline your online experience; however, they can cause issues when using a VPN.
Cookies often contain information regarding your location. If this location is different to the location you’re using with your VPN,
AbemaTV knows you’re using a VPN and will block the connection.To make sure your Cookies aren’t causing any issues, delete them and see if your VPN works with AbemaTV again.
Change to a different protocol
Check to see if your VPN supports multiple protocols.
A VPN protocol is a set of rules that define how your VPN reroutes your online data. Some protocols are fast. Some are secure. Some are a mixture of both.
AbemaTV might not be working with your VPN because the protocol you’re using is no longer compatible with the streaming service.
If possible, try a different protocol and see if that fixes the issue.
Change to a different Japanese server
If you were using a VPN with AbemaTV and it suddenly stopped working, chances are the streaming service has blocked the IP address your VPN has given you.
AbemaTV cannot block a VPN entirely. However, it can block the IP addresses it provides.
Changing to a different Japanese server on your VPN will give you a different Japanese IP address, and if this one hasn’t t been blocked, AbemaTV will work with your VPN again.
Update your VPN
Always ensure your VPN is up to date.
Much like any other software, VPNs can pick up errors and bugs, and they will fix these errors and bugs via updates.
AbemaTV might have stopped working with your VPN because of an error. This may have been fixed in an update, so make sure you are updated to the latest version of your VPN.
Upgrade to a VPN that works reliably with AbemaTV
If you’ve made it this far in the list, then AbemaTV has managed to block all of the IP addresses your VPN can currently provide.
This has happened because your VPN does not have measures in place to ensure it works reliably with the Japanese streaming service.
The easiest and best way to fix the problem is to upgrade to a VPN that can work reliably with AbemaTV.
The best VPN for this is ExpressVPN ($6.67/month)
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) is fast, secure and has a number of reliable Japanese servers you can use. You won’t run into the same issues you have come across with your current VPN when trying to watch AbemaTV with a VPN if you use ExpressVPN ($6.67/month).
Why has AbemaTV stopped working with VPN?
AbemaTV has stopped working with your VPN because it has managed to identify and block the IP address your VPN has given you.
Because AbemaTV is a Japanese streaming service that’s only available in Japan, it tries to block anyone outside Japan from accessing its service.
Because VPNs can potentially allow you to access AbemaTV in countries where it does not have the rights to broadcast its content, it tries to block them from accessing its platform.
If it didn’t do this, it would be breaching strict copyright and licensing agreements it has with its content partners and could face financial punishment.
So to protect itself, it monitors for and tries to block VPNs.
How does AbemaTV block VPNs?
AbemaTV blocks VPNs by monitoring the IP addresses that connect to its servers.
Usually, only a household of devices will connect to AbemaTV via the same IP address. This is around 8 to 10 connections
Most VPNs have more customers than IP addresses, meaning customers are forced to share IPs.
When a VPN is sharing IP addresses between hundreds or thousands of users and they all connect to AbemaTV at the same time, it’s easy for the streaming service to tell it’s a VPN IP address.
When this happens, it blocks the connection, and this is why you’ve run into errors using your VPN to watch AbemaTV.
Does AbemaTV work with a VPN?
AbemaTV works with a VPN; however, you need to use a VPN that can get around the streaming service’s VPN blocks.
Lesser VPNs, especially free VPNs, struggle to get around these blocks because they have a massive number of customers and they do not have the financial backing to constantly update their list of IP addresses.
The best VPNs for AbemaTV are ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) because these VPNs play a game of cat and mouse with the Japanese streaming service.
If AbemaTV manages to identify and block an IP address provided by these VPNs, both ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close that IP address and open a new unblocked one.
It sounds simple, but it requires a massive amount of backing and infrastructure for a VPN to be able to do this, and most VPNs simply cannot compete.
This cat-and-mouse game will allow you to watch AbemaTV reliably anywhere in the world without coming across the same problems you’ve come across with your current VPN.
So if you want to watch AbemaTV reliably with a VPN, er recommend using ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
The best VPNs for AbemaTV
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2022
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
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Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.
Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.
The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.
With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
Check out our full ExpressVPN review.
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2. Private Internet Access 🥈
The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming!
Pros
- ✅ Fast and reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Only 48 server locations
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
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3. NordVPN 🥉
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ No logs
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 6-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.
It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.
Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.
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4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for Ivacy and enjoy a 7-day trial with no strings attached
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.
The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.
For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.
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5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 1-day free trial
- ✅ Reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 7-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
- ❌ Average speed scores
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Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.
From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.
That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.
Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.
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