You may have noticed that you cannot watch Discovery Plus in NZ. If you go on the app or website, you’ll come across an error stating, “discovery+ is not yet available in this location.”
This is happening because Discovery does not have the rights to broadcast its content in NZ.
To watch Discovery Plus in NZ, you need to make the streaming service think you’re watching it from within the US, where it does have the rights to broadcast its content.
The easiest way to do this is with a reliable VPN.
In this article, I’ll show you how to get a VPN that will work with Discovery Plus, and I’ll also explain how you can use this VPN to watch Discovery Plus in NZ or anywhere in the world.
See also:
Discovery Plus not working with VPN? Try these SIMPLE fixes! (August 2021)
How to watch Discovery Plus in NZ: Quick Guide
To make Discovery Plus think you’re watching from within the US, you need a US IP address.
The easiest way to get one is by using a reliable VPN. All you need to do is follow these simple steps:
Create a new account with NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month).
Download and install the new VPN app
Select a server in the US
Create an account with Discovery Plus (more on this below)
Watch Discovery Plus in NZ
How to create a Discovery Plus account in NZ?
To create a Discovery Plus account, you need a US address. This is easy to get around.
All you need to do is Google “US postal address,” select an address and use that information to fill out your account details. It’s simple.
It’s also important to make sure you use an active email account when signing up because you’ll be sent a confirmation email to finalise the creation of your Discovery Plus account.
Why is Discovery Plus blocked in NZ?
The reason Discovery Plus is blocked in NZ is because it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content in Aotearoa. The copyright and licensing agreements it has with its content partners stipulate that the content cannot be accessed in NZ.
Discovery Plus is a US streaming service that only has the rights to broadcast its content in the US.
If Discovery made its streaming service available in a country where it didn’t have broadcast rights, it could face severe financial repercussions.
To protect itself from these potential copyright and licensing issues, Discovery Plus uses geo-blocking techniques to prevent anyone outside of the US from accessing its service.
These blocks are the reason you’re running into the “discovery+ is not yet available in this location” error when connecting to Discovery Plus in NZ.
How does Discovery Plus block my connection?
The way Discovery Plus blocks your connection is all to do with your IP address.
When you go online, you’re allocated a unique IP address. Like an area code on a landline phone number, this IP contains information about where you’re physically located.
When you connect to Discovery Plus, the streaming service scans your IP address to determine your location.
If it finds you are outside of the US (in NZ), it blocks you from accessing its content.
How do I get around Discovery Plus’s geo-blocks?
To get around Discovery Plus’s blocks, you need to fool it into thinking you’re accessing its service from inside its broadcast zone.
To put it simply, you need to make it think you’re in the US. To do this, you need a US IP address.
The easiest way to get a US IP address is with a VPN.
When you use a VPN to get a US IP address, Discovery Plus will scan your IP and think you’re in the US.
Now, Discovery Plus will be unblocked, and you’ll no longer run into the “discovery+ is not yet available in this location” error.
How do VPNs work?
A VPN is perfect for watching Discovery Plus in NZ because it does two things. First, it gives you an anonymous internet connection so your location cannot be ascertained by Discovery Plus, and secondly, it will provide you with an IP address in a country of your choosing (provided the VPN has a server in that country.)
It does this by encrypting all of your internet data and rerouting it through one of its servers (that you can choose).
Once your data reaches this server, it’s decrypted and sent to an internet service provider based in the country where the VPN server is located.
This all sounds very complicated, but all you have to do is download NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month), connect to a US server, and you’ll be able to watch Discovery Plus anywhere in the world.
Does Discovery Plus block VPNs?
Yes, Discovery Plus tries to block VPNs; however it cannot block them in their entirety, only the IP addresses they provide.
Discovery Plus does this by monitoring for an abnormal amount of connections coming from the same IP address, where abnormal means more than an average household. Usually, only 7-10 devices connect to Discovery Plus via the same IP address. More than this, Discovery deems as abnormal usage.
This can be a problem for VPNs because, in order to be profitable, they need to have more customers than IP addresses.
The problem with this business model is it forces customers to share IP addresses.
The sharing of these IPs makes it easy for Discovery to identify abnormal usage because hundreds or thousands of connections connect to the streaming service via the same IP address.
When Discovery Plus sees this, it knows this is a VPN IP address, and it blocks it.
Don’t panic, though. There are two very good VPNs that can get around this issue. See below:
What VPNs work with Discovery Plus?
The VPNs that work with Discovery Plus are the ones that can stay one step ahead of Discovery Plus’s VPN blocking techniques.
NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) are very good at doing this.
First, they have a lot of IP addresses, so the chance of you sharing an IP with another customer is much less than other VPNs. Also, most importantly, when Discovery Plus blocks an IP address provided by these VPNs, NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) will close that IP address and open a new one.
This allows you to stay one step ahead of Discovery Plus’s blocks, and it means you can watch Discovery Plus in NZ or anywhere in the world reliably.
The best VPNs to watch Discovery Plus in NZ
1. NordVPN
The BEST VPN of 2022
Pro
- 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 – $3.49/month
2. Ivacy
The BEST low-cost VPN
Pros
- Fast servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- Dedicated streaming servers
- 5-simultaneous connections
- 24/7 Live Chat
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Only 5 devices
- Sometimes runs slow
- Occasionally blocked by streaming sites
SPECIAL OFFER: 7-DAY TRIAL ($0.99)
3. ExpressVPN
A very reliable and fast VPN
Pros
- Fast servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- 10-simultaneous connections
- 24/7 Live Chat
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Easy-to-use app
Cons
- Expensive
SPECIAL OFFER – 3-MONTHS FREE!
4. Private Internet Access
The BEST mid-range 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 – SAVE 82%!
30-day money-back guarantee
5. CyberGhost
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
30-day money-back guarantee
