If you want to find out how to watch Australian TV abroad, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, I’ll explain exactly what you need to do to watch Aussie On Demand TV while travelling overseas.
How to watch Australian TV abroad
Watching Aussie TV when you’re not in Australia is pretty easy when you know how. All you need to do is spoof your IP address (to and Australian one), then you can enjoy Live and On-Demand Australian TV as if you were at home. It’s as simple as that.
The best and easiest way to do this is to use a VPN.
- Get ExpressVPN ($6.66/month)
- Download and install the app
- Connect to a server in Australia
- Enjoy watching Australian TV while abroad
Why do I need a VPN to watch Australian TV abroad?
Every internet connection has an IP address. IPs are assigned to you by your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and they’re kind of similar to landline telephone numbers. In the same way, you can tell where a call is coming from based on the dialling/area code, websites know where a user is located based on their IP address.
Installing a VPN lets you spoof your IP address to any major country in the world. And they do this using military-grade encryption. Which means your connection is watertight and won’t leak your real location – allowing you to watch Australian TV from anywhere in the world.
Can I use any VPN?
No. Not any more.
Up until 2016 – before Netflix started the trend of online streaming sites fighting back – all you needed was a cheap VPN and you could access any streaming website in the world.
Things are a little different today. Streaming websites have got wise to VPNs and have started actively blacklisting them.
See also: BBC detecting VPN? Here’s how to fix that!
How do VPN IPs get blacklisted?
The process is simpler than you might expect.
Imagine a standard house’s internet connection and IP address. It probably has four internet users, and the chances of all four users connecting to the same site – like Netflix.com – at the same time are rare.
Now imagine a VPN’s US server and IP address. It could have anywhere between 1-100 people connected to it. And as people use VPNs to unlock geo-blocked content, the chances of an abnormal number of people connecting to US Netflix are much higher.
And when this happens, that VPN’s IP address gets blacklisted.
Which VPN is best for watching Australian TV abroad?
This is why it’s really important you choose the right VPN. One that monitors its connections to major online streaming services and creates fresh IPs if/when older ones get blacklisted. All three VPNs feature below play this game of Cat and Mouse with major online streaming services.
1. ExpressVPN
$6.66/month
If you don’t mind spending a few dollars more a month. ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) offers access to the fastest servers of them all. Presumably, because fewer users are willing to pay more than double for a VPN that offers largely the same features as the rest of the market.
Whatever the reason is – it’s working. ExpressVPN is a service that offers premium speeds and excellent uptime.
ExpressVPN is another VPN that’s world-class at playing Cat and Mouse with popular streaming websites. The app is also really easy to use.
Click here to get ExpressVPN for $6.66/month.
2. Ivacy
$1.99/month
Ivacy ($1.99/month) is my favourite low-cost VPN for streaming. For less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks (per month), you can unlock hundreds of different streaming sites.
The difference between Ivacy and most other VPNs on the market is that Ivacy is set up primarily as a streaming VPN. This means you can easily pick the best server based on what service you want to watch. If, for example, you wanted to watch BBC iPlayer, you’d just need to go to the Purposes Menu and then select BBC – the Ivacy app will then select the best server for streaming BBC iPlayer
3. PureVPN
$2.99/month
PureVPN comes a close second to NordVPN. From my tests it’s servers are a tiny bit slower than NordVPN’s. However, the uptime of its IP addresses with Australian TV sites is just as good.
The PureVPN app is also really easy to use. There’s even a handy feature that will automatically connect you to the best server based on what TV website you want to stream content from.
There’s one more thing that’s great about PureVPN. For an extra $1.99/month you can buy a dedicated IP. The means you’re the only user that has access to this IP address. Which is great if you want to use it from streaming content as it’ll never be blacklisted for abnormal usage like the shared VPN servers will.
Click here to get PureVPN for $2.50/month.
4. NordVPN
$3.99/month
This is my favourite VPN. It’s the one I always use when I want to watch Australian TV, or US Netflix, or even BBC iPlayer. It’s well priced and it’s technically superior to the majority of its competitors.
The best thing about NordVPN, apart from being easy-to-use, is that it employs a full-time technical team to monitor its servers connections with major online streaming services. As soon as any error is detected this team gets to work on a fix.
There’s also a helpful 24/7 Live Chat service you can use on the homepage. If ever you’re struggling to find a server that works with the site you’re trying to access you can get help via use Live Chat.
NordVPN is also the best VPN (in my opinion) at playing Cat and Mouse with websites. If one of its IPs is ever blacklisted it responds by opening a fresh address asap.
Click here to save 66% and get NordVPN for $3.99/month.
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