If you’ve been watching Showtime with ExpressVPN and it’s not working, Showtime has identified and blocked all the IP addresses ExpressVPN can provide.
Usually, ExpressVPN works well with Showtime; however, if you can’t resolve the issue, the measures ExpressVPN has in place to ensure it works reliably with Showtime are no longer working.
From here, you can wait for ExpressVPN to fix the issue or fix the problem yourself.
This article will explain how you can fix ExpressVPN not working with Showtime, and if you read to the end of the article, we’ll explain how you can prevent these sorts of errors from coming up again in the future.
See also:
- How to watch Showtime outside the US: The EASY method! (March 2023)
- Showtime not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes! (March 2023)
ExpressVPN not working with Showtime: Fixes
Delete Cookies
Cookies are small files saved on your device to streamline your online experience.
They aren’t dangerous files. However, they can cause issues when using a VPN.
To streamline your online activity, some Cookies contain information regarding your location. If that information differs from the location you’re selecting with ExpressVPN, Showtime knows you’re using a VPN and will block the connection.
To get around this, try deleting your Cookies.
Change to a different US server on ExpressVPN
The good news is Showtime cannot block ExpressVPN entirely. The bad news is it can block the IP addresses ExpressVPN can provide.
If you were watching Showtime with ExpressVPN and it suddenly stopped working, chances are the IP address you’ve been given has been blocked by Showtime.
Changing to a different server will give you a different IP address, and if that one hasn’t been blocked, you’ll be able to watch Showtime with ExpressVPN again.
Change to a different protocol
ExpressVPN supports two protocols, OpenVPN and Lightway.
These protocols determine how ExpressVPN reroutes your data via its own servers. ‘
It might not be working with Showtime because the protocol you’re using is no longer compatible with the streaming service.
Try changing to a different protocol to see if that fixes the issues you’re having. We recommend Lightway.
Update ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is constantly releasing updates. These often contain fixes for common issues customers are having with the VPN software.
These updates may contain a fix for Showtime not working with ExpressVPN.
To ensure you have these fixes update ExpressVPN to its latest version.Use a VPN that is compatible with Showtime
If the above fixes don’t resolve ExpressVPN not working with Showtime, then the streaming service has managed to identify and block all the IP addresses ExpressVPN can currently provide.
This has happened because ExpressVPN’s measures to ensure it works reliably with Showtime are no longer working.
To get around this issue, the best thing to do is to change to a VPN that is currently compatible with Showtime. We recommend Private Internet Access ($2.03/month)
Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) works very well with Showtime. It has fast US-based servers, and it has measures in place to ensure Showtime cannot block all of its IP addresses.
If Showtime manages to identify and block an IP address provided by Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close that IP and open a new unblocked one, so there’s always one for you to connect to.
This will allow you to watch Showtime reliably anywhere in the world.
Why has ExpressVPN stopped working with Showtime?
ExpressVPN is an incredibly popular VPN, and it has a lot of customers, so much so that it cannot provide each customer with their own individual IP address.
When a VPN has a discrepancy between customers and IP addresses, they share IPs between their customers. This is a common practice and is the only way ExpressVPN can be economically viable.
The problem with this is it makes it easy for Showtime to identify an IP address provided by ExpressVPN.
Usually, only a household’s worth of devices will connect to Showtime via the same IP address. This equates to around ten connections. When ExpressVPN is forced to share IP addresses between its customers, it results in significantly more than ten connections.
Showtime sees this as abnormal activity and will block that IP address. Eventually, it can identify all the IP addresses ExpressVPN currently has and blocks them all.
ExpressVPN has stopped working with Showtime because it’s losing the battle wherein it needs to be closing blocked IP addresses and opening new unblocked ones to stay ahead of Showtime.
Why does Showtime block ExpressVPN?
Showtime tries to block all VPNs, not just ExpressVPN. It does this because VPNs are well-known ways to watch Showtime outside its broadcast zone, the US.
Showtime only has the rights to broadcast its content within US borders. If it made itself available outside the US, it would be infringing on copyright and licensing deals already in place with other streaming services in that location.
These infringements are often met with severe financial punishments and a customer using ExpressVPN to watch Showtime outside the US could result in Showtime being found guilty of this sort of infringement.
So, to protect itself, Showtime needs to employ methods and be seen trying to block VPNs like ExpressVPN.
Does Showtime work with VPN?
Yes, Showtime does work with VPNs. Just because ExpressVPN isn’t working with the streaming service doesn’t mean all VPNs are no longer compatible with Showtime.
With that said, there are a lot of VPNs out there that don’t work with Showtime. These are, more often than not, free VPNs which can’t afford to install measures to ensure they work reliably with Showtime.
If you want to watch Showtime with a VPN, you need to use a VPN that meets three key criteria:
- Fast US servers
- A guaranteed secure connection
- Measures in place to stay one step ahead of Showtime’s VPN blocks.
Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) meets all of these criteria. It has several super fast US servers, it can give you a secure, anonymous internet connection, and it plays a game of cat and mouse with Showtime.
Every now and again, an IP address provided by Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) might get identified by Showtime. A VPN cannot 100% guarantee they won’t have IP addresses blocked by Showtime; however, Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) uses a simple technique to ensure you can always connect to Showtime.
When an IP address provided by Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) gets blocked, Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close that IP and open a new unblocked one, so there’s always one for you to connect to. This will allow you to watch Showtime reliably anywhere in the world and will prevent you from coming across the same errors you’ve come across with ExpressVPN.
The best VPNs for Showtime
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
Special Offer for you!
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.
Special Offer for you
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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%
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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.
SPECIAL OFFER – SAVE 70%!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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)
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
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
Take advantage of CyberGhost’s 1-day FREE TRIAL!
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.
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
(30-day money-back guarantee)
