How to watch The Ashes 2023 for free: The EASY way! (2023)

If you’re trying to watch the 2023 Ashes series, you’ll probably have to subscribe to an expensive sports network or streaming service. This can be frustrating especially if you’re only trying to watch one sporting event.

Fortunately, there’s a way to watch The Ashes without having to subscribe to an expensive streaming service. All you need to do is gain access to the free Australian streaming service, 9Now.

The problem is 9Now won’t “officially” work if you’re outside Australia, however there’s an easy way to watch 9Now and all of its content anywhere in the world.

This article will explain how to watch The Ashes 2023 for free by gaining access to 9Now.

See also:

• How to listen to TMS abroad
• How to watch 7plus outside Australia: The EASY way!

How to watch The Ashes 2023 for free: Quick Guide

To watch The Ashes 2023 for free you need to gain access to the free Australian streaming service, 9Now.

To do that you need to change your IP address to an Australian IP address.

Sounds complicated however, it’s easy just follow these steps:

How to create a 9Now account outside Australia

To create a 9now account outside Australia, you only need a few things.

You need a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month), you need an Australian postcode, and you need a valid email address. 

Follow these steps to create a 9Now account outside Australia:

1. Download ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and connect to an Australian server
2. Visit 9Now
3. Select Create new account
4. Input your email and password
5. Where it asks for an Australian postcode, you can get one here
6. You’ll now have a 9Now account

How to download the 9Now app outside Australia

The easiest way to watch 9Now outside Australia is via the app on a phone or tablet. You can use either an Apple device or an Android device.

A phone or tablet is easiest because you can download the 9Now app, which makes it easy to watch your favourite content and stream it to your television.

To download the 9Now app outside Australia, follow these steps:

Apple

1. Download ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and connect to an Australian server
2. Create a new iCloud account for free
   • The reason we recommend creating a new iCloud account is so you can have two different accounts in two different locations. For example, I have my iCloud account I use every day set to my home country and I have my other iCloud account based in Australia. That way I can switch between them when I need to without having to change the location of my main account.
3. Login to your new iCloud account
   • Once you’ve created a seperate iCloud account you need to set its location to Australia. Go into settings, logout of your main account (if you’re still logged in) and log in to your new account.
4. Open your account
   • If you go into settings on your Apple device, your account name will be at the top of the screen. Click that to open your account settings.
5. Select Media and Purchases
6. Select View Account
   • Once you click View Account this will prompt you to enter your password. When this is done, you’ll be taken to a new page.
7. Tap Country/Region and select Australia
   • When you open Country/Region you’ll see “Change Country or Region.” Click on this and select Australia.
8. Select no payment method
   • When creating a new Apple account you’ll be prompted to input a payment method. However, if you don’t have an Australian credit card or payment method, your credit card won’t be accepted. Simply select no payment method to get around this.
9. Input an Australian address
   • If prompted to put in an Australian address, you can get one here
10. Go to the App Store and download 9Now
    • Once you’ve changed your region to Australia, make sure you’re still connected to an Australian server on ExpressVPN ($6.67/month). Now you’ll have access to the Australian version of the Apple App Store. From here you’ll be able to find the 9Now app. Download it.

Android

1. Create a new Google Play account and login to it on the Google Play store
2. Download and install ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) on your Android phone
3. Connect to an Australian server on ExpressVPN ($6.67/month)
4. Open up your Google Play Account
5. Click Settings
6. Click General
7. Click account and device preferences
8. Change your location to Australia
9. Put in your credit card details
10. Close Google Play and open it again (you should be on the Australian version of the Google Play Store)
11. Download and install 9Now

Why can’t I access 9Now outside Australia?

You can’t access 9when outside Australia because the streaming service has figured out you’re not in Australia and has blocked your connection.

9Now is an Australian streaming service that’s only available in Australia, if you’re outside the country, 9Now knows this and will block your connection.

It does this because if it made itself available outside Australia, it would be breaching very severe rules and regulations around content and copyright licensing. These breaches are often met with severe fines.

9Now doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content outside Australia, so to protect itself from potential financial punishments it blocks anyone outside the country from accessing its platform.

How does 9Now block my connection outside Australia?

Whenever you go online, your device is allocated a unique IP address. This is a small code used by your device to communicate with the online service you’re trying to access. In this case 9Now.

The problem here is – like an area code on a landline phone number – your IP address contains information disclosing your physical location. If you’re in the UK, your IP address will show you’re in the UK, if you’re in the US your IP address will show you’re in the US and so on.

When you connect to 9Now, it scans your IP address to determine your location. If it finds you’re outside Australia, it blocks your connection.

How can I get around 9Now’s blocks?

To get around 9Now’s blocks you need to fool it into thinking you’re accessing its service from within Australia. To do that you need to change your IP address to an Australian one.

This sounds complicated but a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) makes the process simple.

These VPNs will provide you with an anonymous internet connection and they’ll allow you to gain access to a large number of Australian servers, which will give you an Australian IP address.

All you need to do is download ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), connect to an Australian server and you’ll be able to watch 9Now anywhere in the world and subsequently you’ll be able to watch The Ashes 2023.

Does 9Now block VPNs?

Yes, 9Now has started blocking VPNs.

It does this because someone using a VPN to access its platform in a country where it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content could result in the streaming service being found guilty of breaching copyright and licensing legislation.

These breaches often result in massive financial repercussions. So, to protect itself, 9Now tries to block VPNs from accessing its platform.

While it cannot block a VPN entirely, it can block the IP addresses a VPN provides. These blocks can be very difficult to get around and a lot of VPNs struggle to work reliably with 9Now.

Fortunately, both ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) have measures in place to ensure they can work with 9Now without issue.

If 9Now manages to block an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), these VPNs will close that IP address and open a new one. This will allow you to access 9Now and watch The Ashes 2023 for free reliably without issue.

The best VPNs for 7Plus

Is watching 9Now with a VPN legal?

Yes, watching 9Now with a VPN is completely legal, however it does go against 9Now’s terms of use.

When you create a 9Now account, or access 9Now, you automatically agree to its terms of use. This is a document that details what you’re allowed to do and are not allowed to do on the streaming service. If you go against the terms of use, 9Now is within its rights to block or ban your account.

In this document it states “If you are located outside of Australia, you must not access, view or listen to the 9Now Service without our express written permission. We may use technology to verify your geographic location and prevent use outside Australia.” This means using a VPN to access 9Now goes against its terms of use and 9Now may block your account for doing so.

With that said, given the wide-spread use of VPNs, plus the many legitimate and legal use cases for VPNs, it’s fair to suggest that banning customers for using a VPN would be a heavy-handed and financially costly policy for 9Now (and other streaming services) to enforce.

If you’re trying to watch 9Now in a region where it does not traditionally operate you risk having your account banned. In theory. However, as the best VPNs use military-grade encryption it is impossible for 9Now to trace where you’re physically accessing its content from.

There’s one final thing to note on the subject: 9Now has never banned anyone for using a VPN to access its service.

For more information you can check out our article answering Is streaming with a VPN legal?