CBC Gem not working with VPN? Here are some EASY fixes! (June 2022)

If you’re outside Canada, have been watching CBC Gem with a VPN, and it’s stopped working. The CBC has blocked your VPN and its IP addresses.

This is frustrating, but don’t panic. There are several fixes you can try to resolve this issue.

This article will show you how to fix CBC Gem not working with VPN and if you read to the bottom of the article, it’ll explain how you can stop this from happening in the future.

See also:

• VRV not working with VPN? (July 2021) Try these EASY fixes!
• Crave not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes! (July 2021)
• Crackle not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes (Updated July 2021)

CBC Gem not working with VPN: Fixes

How does the CBC block my VPN?

The CBC blocks VPNs by monitoring for an abnormal amount of connections coming from the same IP address. Usually, only a household of devices (8-10) uses the same IP address. 

This is an issue for VPNs because they need to have more customers than IP addresses in order for them to be profitable. Free VPNs struggle to get around this issue because they have a lot more customers than IP addresses. 

Because of this business model, VPN customers are often forced to share IPs. When CBC sees hundreds or thousands of connections coming from the same IP address, it deems this as an abnormal amount of connections. It knows this is an IP that a VPN has provided, and it blocks it.

Why does the CBC block VPNs?

The CBC blocks VPNs to protect itself from potential copyright and licensing issues.

The CBC is a Canadian streaming service that only has the rights to broadcast its content in Canada.

If the CBC broadcast its content outside of Canada, it would breach the copyright and licensing agreements that it has with its content partners, resulting in significant financial punishments. 

Because VPNs are a well-known way to watch CBC Gem outside Canada, they could cause these licensing breaches. And to protect itself from this happening, CBC Gem tries to block VPN connections from accessing its content.

Does CBC Gem still work with VPNs?

Yes, it does still work with a VPN; however, you need a VPN that is compatible with the service.

You need a VPN with a large number of IP addresses, reliable Canadian servers, and measures in place to stay one step ahead of CBC’s VPN blocking measures. 

ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.49/month) are VPNs that meet all of these criteria. 

Both of these VPNs have a lot of IP addresses, so you have less chance of sharing an IP with another customer. They have fast Canadian servers, and most importantly, they can stay one step ahead of the CBC.

On some occasions, even ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.49/month) can have their IP addresses blocked by CBC. However, it’s not an issue for you, the customer, because they react in a way that allows you to watch CBC Gem anywhere in the world reliably.

When ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.49/month) has an IP address blocked by the CBC, they close that IP and open a new one. This prevents you from running into the issues you’re coming across with your current VPN.

The best VPNs to watch CBC Gem

1. ExpressVPN

The fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2022

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 ExpressVPN is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video etc. ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites (apart from BBC iPlayer). 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 prevent its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.

2. NordVPN

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

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 NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And its 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 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 tunnelling 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.

3. Ivacy

The great low-cost VPN option

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 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.

4. Private Internet Access

The BEST mid-range VPN for streaming! Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speeds: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes 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-days 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).

5. CyberGhost

Number of servers: 6,000+ | Speeds: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 200 in 90 countries | Devices supported: 7 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes 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.