If you’ve been watching Channel 4 with CyberGhost and it’s stopped working, all of CyberGhost’s IP addresses have been blocked by the streaming service.
This is happening is because CyberGhost is no longer staying one step ahead of Channel 4’s VPN blocking techniques.
This is frustrating, but there are a few things you can try to fix this issue. This article will explain some fixes you can try so you can watch Channel 4 with a VPN again.
See also:
- CyberGhost not working with Netflix? Try these EASY fixes! (2023)
- CyberGhost not working with Amazon Prime? Here’s how I FIXED that! (2023)
CyberGhost not working with Channel 4: Fixes
Follow these fixes in order if one doesn’t work, move on to the next until you’ve resolved CyberGhost not working with Channel 4.
Delete Cookies
Channel 4 may be scanning your Cookies to determine where you’re located. And if it finds you’re outside of its broadcast zone, it will block your connection.
When you go online, some websites and apps will ask you to accept Cookies. These are small files designed to make your online experience better. However, in order to do that, they contain information about your location.
Channel 4 will be able to access this information whether you’re using CyberGhost or not.
A good place to start when trying to fix CyberGhost not working with Channel 4 is deleting your Cookies.
Change to a different UK server
CyberGhost isn’t working with Channel 4 because Channel 4 has been able to block the IP address CyberGhost has given you.
This doesn’t necessarily mean Channel 4 has been able to block all the IP addresses CyberGhost can provide.
Changing to a different UK server will give you a new IP address, and if this one hasn’t been blocked, Channel 4 will work with CyberGhost again.
Upgrade to a better VPN
If deleting your Cookies and changing to a different UK server doesn’t resolve CyberGhost not working with Channel 4, all of CyberGhost’s IP addresses have been blocked by the streaming service.
You could wait for CyberGhost to release new, unblocked IPs, but there’s no telling how long this will take, and the VPN will also need to upgrade its measures to stay ahead of Channel 4’s blocks; otherwise the new IPs will be blocked as well.
The best way to get around this problem is to upgrade to a VPN that is better at getting around Channel 4’s VPN blocks.
The best VPN for this is ExpressVPN ($6.67/month). This VPN plays a game of cat and mouse with Channel 4. When an IP address provided by, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) is blocked it will close that IP and open a new one. Allowing you to watch Channel 4 reliably anywhere in the world.
Why does Channel 4 block CyberGhost?
Channel 4 is a UK streaming service that only has the rights to broadcast its content in the UK.
If it broadcast its content internationally, it would be breaching the copyright and licensing agreements it has with its content partners and could potentially face severe financial repercussions.
Because CyberGhost allows you to watch Channel 4 anywhere in the world, it could potentially result in Channel 4 breaching those agreements.
To stop this from happening, Channel 4 blocks CyberGhost.
How does Channel 4 block CyberGhost?
Channel 4 cannot block CyberGhost entirely, but it can block the IP addresses it provides.
It does this using three main techniques:
- The most common technique is to do with the IP addresses that your VPN can provide. VPN providers have more customers than IP addresses; this means that customers are forced to share the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When Channel 4 sees hundreds or even thousands of connections coming through on the same IP address, it knows that it is a VPN, and it blocks it.
- Channel 4 monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- Channel 4 teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, Channel 4 will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from and it will block you.
Does Channel 4 still work with VPNs?
Channel 4 still works with a VPN, I’ve been watching it here in New Zealand reliably all year. However, you’ll need a VPN that has a lot of IP addresses and has measures in place to stay ahead of Channel 4’s VPN blocking methods.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) not only have a large number of IP addresses they also use a simple technique that allows them to stay ahead of Channel 4’s blocks.
When Channel 4 blocks an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), these VPNs will close that IP address and open a new one. This game of Cat and Mouse keeps them one step ahead of Channel 4, and it allows you to watch Channel 4 anywhere in the world reliably.
The best VPNs to watch Channel 4
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
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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Get 3 extra months free when you sign up for a 12-month ExpressVPN plan. That’s 15 months in total for the price of 12.
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).
Special Offer – Save 83%
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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.
Special Offer – 7-day FREE trial!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
