If you’re trying to watch The Block Australia in the UK, the easiest way is by gaining access to the free Australian streaming service 9Now.
If you try and access 9Now in the UK, the streaming service won’t work, however there’s an easy way to get around this issue and gain access to all of its content in the UK.
All you need is a reliable VPN.
This article will explain how to watch The Block Australia in the UK using a reliable VPN.
See also:
- How to watch The Block outside Australia: The EASY way! (May 2023)
- How to watch 7plus outside Australia: The EASY way! (May 2023)
How to watch The Block Australia in the UK: Steps
To watch The Block Australia in the UK follow these easy steps:
Create a new account with ExpressVPN ($6.67/month)
Download and install the new VPN app
Select a server in Australia
Create a 9Now account (see below)
Download the 9Now app on your device (see below)
Watch The Block outside Australia
How to create a 9Now account in the UK
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:
- Download ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and connect to an Australian server
- Visit 9Now
- Select Create new account
- Input your email and password
- Where it asks for an Australian postcode, you can get one here
- You’ll now have a 9Now account
How to download the 9Now app in the UK
If you’re trying to download the 9Now app in the UK, you won’t be able to find it on your chosen app store. This is because the app is only available on Australian app stores.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to download the 9Now app on both Apple and Android devices.
All you need to do is follow the below steps:
Apple
- Download ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and connect to an Australian server
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Select Media and Purchases
- 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.
- Tap Country/Region and select Australia
- When you open Country/Region you’ll see “Change Country or Region.” Click on this and select Australia.
- 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.
- Input an Australian address
- If prompted to put in an Australian address, you can get one here
- 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
- Create a new Google Play account and login to it on the Google Play store
- Download and install ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) on your Android phone
- Connect to an Australian server on ExpressVPN ($6.67/month)
- Open up your Google Play Account
- Click Settings
- Click General
- Click account and device preferences
- Change your location to Australia
- Put in your credit card details
- Close Google Play and open it again (you should be on the Australian version of the Google Play Store)
- Download and install 9Now
Why can’t I access 9Now in the UK?
The reason you can’t access 9Now in the UK is because the streaming service is blocking your connection.
9Now is an Australian streaming service that’s only available in Australia. It doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content internationally.
Because of this, 9Now uses methods to identify where in the world you’re located when accessing its platform and if it finds you’re outside Australia, it blocks your connection.
How does 9Now block my connection in the UK?
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 in the UK, 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 and watch The Block Australia in the UK, you need to trick 9Now into thinking you’re accessing it from within Australia.
To do that, you need to change your UK IP address to an Australian IP address. That way when 9Now scans your IP to determine your location, it will think you’re in Australia and you’ll get access to all of its content including all the latest episodes of The Block.
The easiest way to change your IP address is with a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
With these VPNs you can select an Australian server and within seconds you’ll be given an Australian IP address. This will allow you to access 9Now and watch The Block Australia in the UK or anywhere in the world.
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 Block Australia reliably in the UK without issue.
The best VPNs for 9Now in the UK
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
Special Offer for you!
Get 3 extra months free when you sign up for a 12-month ExpressVPN plan. That’s 15 months in total for the price of 12.
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.
Special Offer for you
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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).
Special Offer – Save 83%
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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.
SPECIAL OFFER – SAVE 70%!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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.
Special Offer – 7-day FREE trial!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
Take advantage of CyberGhost’s 1-day FREE TRIAL!
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.
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
(30-day money-back guarantee)
