If you’re working/living outside of the US, or simply taking a vacation, watching your favourite TV shows is a little tricky. But don’t worry. In this, you’ll find all the information you need to learn how to watch The Big Bang Theory outside of the US… and every other US show!
Why can’t I watch The Big Bang Theory outside of the US?
Let’s start with the bad news. As soon as you’re outside of the US, you won’t be able to watch or stream TV as you can back home. The applies to you whether you pay for Cable or just watch free-to-air US TV.
Why not? “Licensing”. That’s why not. Every country on earth has its own licensing laws and contracts. And in order to protect each different country’s local broadcasting rights, TV websites have had to restrict where users can access the content from.
This all means you’re not going to be able to watch The Big Bang Theory on CBS.com without a US IP address?
See related: Netflix detecting VPN? Here’s how to fix that!
What is an IP address?
An IP address is a lot like a phone number. They’re assigned to internet connections from local ISP (Internet Service Providers) and are made up of a series of number. Like phone number’s they contain (sort of) area codes that websites can use to locate where its users are connecting from.
How to watch The Big Bang Theory outside of the US
- Get PureVPN ($2.49/month)
- Download and install the app on your device
- Go to Streaming > Purpose > CBS
- Watch The Big Bang Theory from outside the US
If you want to watch The Big Bang Theory outside the US, you’re going to need to spoof your IP address to an American one. The best way to do this is to use a VPN.
VPN’s use a network of servers and military-grade encryption to spoof your IP address to practically any country in the world – as long as the VPN provider has a server there.
Be careful though. TV streaming websites have started blacklisting some VPN’s IP addresses for abnormal usage. The way they do this is pretty simple. A normal household’s internet connection in the US would have, on average, fewer than 10 people using it at any given time. A VPN server’s IP address could support hundreds. It’s thought that when an abnormal (more than 10) people use the same IP address to connect to a TV streaming site at the same time, the IP address gets blacklisted.
This is why we suggest you go with a paid-for VPN from a provider that does two important things. 1. Monitors the number of people it has using a server at any given time. 2. Plays Cat and Mouse with TV streaming sites – if/when one of its server’s IP addresses gets blacklisted, it responds by shutting that IP down and creating a fresh IP.
I’ve been using PureVPN ($2.49/month) for over a year now and I can’t fault the service.
I’ve been using PureVPN ($2.49/month) for over a year now and I can’t fault the service. There are always fast servers/IPs available for me to connect to and I haven’t experienced any trouble watching CBS, US Netflix or even BBC iPlayer (via a UK server).
If you can afford it, spending an extra $1.99/month will buy you access to a dedicated IP. This means you won’t be sharing your IP address with other users – which, in theory, means your connection won’t ever get blacklisted by CBS. Or any other US Network.
PureVPN has hundreds of first-class servers in the US and a high-quality infrastructure to support them. The service employs a full-time technical team to monitor it’s servers’ connections with popular TV streaming sites too. Meaning, if there ever is a problem, work on a fix begins straight away.
How to watch The Big Bang Theory outside the US: The 4 Best VPNs!
1. PureVPN
PureVPN is another good option. It has a user-friendly app (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and Amazon Firestick) that lets you select your “Purpose” for using a VPN. It will then automatically connect you to its best Server for the job. To watch CBS or US Netflix for example, you would go to Purpose and then select either CBS or Netflix US. PureVPN’s excellent app will do the rest – automatically connecting you to a server that works with US Netflix.
Like the two examples above, PureVPN also offers fantastic Live Chat support via its website. If you ever have difficulty connecting to CBS or doing anything with PureVPN, you’re encouraged to speak to a support agent.
The other service PureVPN offers is a dedicated IP ($1.99 extra per month). A dedicated IP, in theory, means you’re the only customer who has access to the server’s IP. PureVPN has dedicated apps available to download on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and Linux (plus a Chrome extension).
2. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is another great option for unblocking CBS. It’s also one of the more expensive. But you’re paying for a quality service. Using ExpressVPN guarantees you’ll always have a working connection with CBS, American Netflix (and even BBC iPlayer in the UK).
Finding a server that is open to CBS is easy. Most of the time, all you need to do is navigate your way to the Recommended servers list in the ExpressVPN app and you’ll be able to watch CBS without any issues. If this doesn’t work, for whatever reason, users are encouraged to speak to a support agent via the ExpressVPN website’s 24/7 Live Chat. Here users can speak to an ExpressVPN representative and literally ask which servers are currently working with CBS.
ExpressVPN has a dedicated app for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone, iPad, Amazon Firestick, Apple TV, PS4 and Xbox. There are also browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Safari.
3. NordVPN
NordVPN is one of the best VPNs for unblocking CBS and watching The Big Bang Theory outside of the US. It has 1883+ servers and a dedicated technical team that monitors each connection (with CBS).
In the unlikely scenario where you’re unable to find a server that works with CBS, don’t panic. Just head to the Support page to find a list of servers that are “open” and verified by Nord’s dedicated tech team.
The NordVPN app is available for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and Linux (plus a Chrome extension).
4. Ivacy
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($2.25/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream CBS, 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 CBS with ease.
For an extra $1.99/month 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.
Read next: BBC iPlayer not working with VPN? Here’s how to fix that!
