If you’re outside Australia and you want to watch State of Origin, there are multiple ways you can do it.
Depending on where you’re located, you can sign up for different streaming services like ESPN Africa or Fox Sports US. The problem is these services are often expensive, costing over $20/month.
You could also try and find an “illegal” stream of the games, however, these are often unreliable and are regularly closed down.
This article will show you how to watch an official and reliable broadcast of State of Origin outside Australia. All you need is a VPN.
See also:
- How to watch Survivor Australia in the US: All the NEW episodes! (June 2023)
- How to watch Kayo outside Australia: In ONLY 2-minutes! (June 2023)
How to watch State of Origin outside Australia: Quick Guide
The best way to watch State of Origin is via Channel 9’s streaming service, 9Now.
9Now is a free streaming service, but unfortunately, it’s only available in Australia. If you’re outside Australia, 9Now won’t work.
To access 9Now and watch State of Origin outside Australia, follow these simple steps:
Create a new account with ExpressVPN ($6.67/month)
Download and install the new VPN app
Select an Australian server
Create an account with 9Now (More below)
Watch State of Origin
How to make a 9Now account outside Australia
Making a 9Now account outside Australia is easy. All you need is ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), an active email address and an Australian postcode.
The first thing you need to do is ensure you’ve downloaded ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) and are connected to an Australian server. If you aren’t, you won’t be able to create a 9Now account. You’ll run into an error stating, “At the moment, 9Now is only licensed to operate with in Australia. This is why we are currently unable to accept registrations from outside of Australia. So, if you are trying to register from abroad, the sign up page will be geo-blocked, preventing you from completing registration.” Connecting to an Australian server on a VPN will remove this error and allow you to make an account.
From here, all you need to do is use an active email (you’ll need to confirm your email address), make a password and then put in some details, including an Australian postcode.
If you don’t have an Australian postcode, you can use any Australian postcode, and it will work. You can find a list of postcodes here, or simply, Google search Australian postcodes and pick one.
9Now is a free streaming service, so you won’t have to pay anything. Using ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), is the cheapest and most reliable way of watching State of Origin outside Australia.
Why do I need a VPN to access 9Now outside Australia?
The reason you need a VPN to access 9Now outside Australia is because the streaming service only has the rights to broadcast its content inside Australian borders.
Because of these copyright and broadcasting restrictions, 9Now doesn’t allow anyone outside Australia to connect to its service.
It doesn’t matter if you already have an account with 9Now, if you’re outside of Australia, the streaming service will block your internet connection.
How does 9Now block my connection?
The way 9Now blocks your connection is all to do with your IP address.
An IP address is a piece of code used to form a communication bridge between your device and the app, website or service you’re connecting to.
The problem with this is in order for this communication to work, your IP address contains information regarding your physical location.
When you connect to 9Now, it scans your IP address. If it finds you aren’t in Australia, it blocks your connection.
How can I get around 9Now’s geo-blocks?
To get around these blocks so you can watch State of Origin on 9Now, outside of Australia, you need to make it look like you’re connecting to the internet from within Australia.
Basically, you need to change your IP address to an Australian IP address. ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) makes the process simple.
Just download one of these VPNs, connect to an Australian server and you’ll be given an Australian IP address.
Now when you connect to 9Now, it will think you’re connecting to it from within Australia, and you’ll be able to access its content.
Will any VPN work?
There are loads of VPNs out there, and not all of them will work with 9Now.
The VPNs that do work are the ones that have fast Australian servers and that have measures in place to get around 9Now’s VPN blocking techniques. 9Now not only blocks people outside Australia, it also tries to block VPNs from accessing its service.
For lesser VPNs, especially free VPNs it’s very hard to get around 9Now’s VPN blocking methods. This is because lesser VPNs don’t have measures to stay one step ahead of these blocks.
Fortunately, the best VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) use a simple process that allows you to watch 9Now reliably anywhere in the world.
When an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) is blocked by 9Now, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close that IP address and open a new one. This cat and mouse game allows you to stay ahead of 9Now’s VPN blocks and you’ll be able to watch State of Origin reliably from wherever you are.
The best VPNs to watch State of Origin outside Australia
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
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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).
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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.
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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
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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.
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(30-day money-back guarantee)
