If Sky Sports is no longer working with ExpressVPN, the streaming service has managed to block all of the IP addresses ExpressVPN currently has available.
This is frustrating and could result in missing upcoming sports events. But, don’t panic, I’ll explain the way I fixed this problem, so you can watch Sky Sports with a VPN again.
See also:
- How to watch MOTD in Australia: The EASIEST method! (August 2021)
- ExpressVPN not working with BT Sport? Try these EASY fixes! (August 2021)
ExpressVPN not working with Sky Sports: Fixes
To fix ExpressVPN not working with Sky Sports, try these fixes. Follow them in order. If one doesn’t work, move to the next.
You’ll be watching Sky Sports with a VPN again in no time:
Delete Cookies
Some websites and apps use Cookies to make your online experience with them more streamlined.
Sometimes you’re asked to accept these Cookies, sometimes they’re downloaded automatically.
These aren’t malicious files; however they sometimes contain information about your location.
Sky Sports can potentially access this information, and whether you’re using ExpressVPn or not, it can see if you’re outside of its broadcast zone. If you are outside the UK, it will block your connection.
When trying to fix ExpressVPN not working with Sky Sports, a good place to start is deleting your Cookies.
Change to a different UK server
ExpressVPN isn’t working because Sky Sports have blocked the IP address it has given you.
This doesn’t mean all of its IP addresses have been blocked.
Changing to a different UK server will give you a new IP address, and if this one hasn’t been blocked, Sky Sports will work with ExpressVPN again.
Upgrade to a better VPN
If you’ve made it this far in the list of fixes, I’m sorry to say Sky Sports has managed to block all of ExpressVPNs IP addresses.
It has managed to do this because ExpressVPN can no longer stay ahead of Sky Sports VPN blocking techniques.
You could wait for Express to release new IP addresses however because it doesn’t have measures I place, these will inevitably be blocked as well. The proper way to fix this problem is to upgrade to a VPN with effective measures in place to stay ahead of Sky Sports.
The best VPN for getting around Sky’s blocks is Private Internet Access ($2.03/month). This VPN plays a game of cat and mouse with Sky Sports. When an IP address provided by this VPN is blocked, Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close that IP and open a new one.
This means you won’t run into the same issues watching Sky Sports as you have with ExpressVPN. And you’ll be able to watch Sky Sports anywhere in the world reliably.
Why does Sky Sports block ExpressVPN?
Sky Sports blocks ExpressVPN to protect itself from potential copyright and licensing issues.
Sky doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content worldwide. Sky Sports is a UK-based service only for UK-based customers.
Because ExpressVPN is a good way to watch Sky Sports outside of the UK, it could be the reason for breaching the agreements Sky has with its content partners. To stop this, Sky tries to block ExpressVPN. If it didn’t do, this Sky could potentially face serious financial punishments.
How does Sky Sports block ExpressVPN?
Sky Sports blocks ExpressVPN by monitoring for and blocking IP addresses provided by Express connecting to its service.
ExpressVPN is a large VPN and because of that, it has more customers than IP addresses. It struggles to keep up with the demand of its customer base and so customers are forced to share IP addresses.
Usually, only a household of connections will access Sky Sports via the same IP address. When Sky Sports sees an abnormal amount (more than an average household) of connections coming from the same IP address, it knows it’s an IP address provided by ExpressVPN and blocks it.
Does Sky Sports still work with VPNs?
Yes, Sky Sports, still works with VPNs, however, you’ll need a VPN that has a lot of IP addresses and has measures in place to stay ahead of Sky’s VPN blocking methods.
Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) has measures in place to get around Sky’s VPN blocking techniques. Not only does it have a large amount of IP addresses, meaning you will have less chance of sharing an IP address with other customers, its also capable of staying ahead of Sky’s blocks.
When Sky Sports blocks an IP address provided by Private Internet Access ($2.03/month). This VPN will close that IP address and open a new one. This will allow you to watch Sky Sports anywhere in the world reliably.
The best VPNs to watch Sky Sports
1. 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)
2. 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)
3. 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)
4. 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)
