If you’re trying to watch TNT Sports (formerly known as BT Sport) outside the UK, you’ll notice you won’t be able to access the streaming service.
TNT Sports doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content outside of the UK (and Ireland via different providers like Now TV), which blocks anyone outside the UK from viewing it.
This can be incredibly annoying for paying subscribers who can’t access TNT Sports while abroad. Luckily, there is a simple fix to this problem. All you need is a reliable VPN that is compatible with TNT Sports.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to watch TNT Sports outside the UK.
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- How to make an ITVX account outside the UK: It’s EASY and only takes minutes! (September 2023)
How to watch TNT Sports outside the UK: Quick Guide
TNT Sports, the new name for BT Sport, is a UK-based streaming service that only has the rights to be broadcast in the UK and Ireland via . If you want to view TNT Sports outside of the UK, you need a UK IP address.
VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) let you change your IP address to a UK one. This allows you to watch TNT Sports from anywhere in the world.
If you’re trying to figure out how to watch TNT Sports outside the UK, all you need to do is follow these simple steps:
Total Time: 2 minutes
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Create a new account with ExpressVPN ($6.67/month)
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Download and install the new VPN app
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Select a server in the UK
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Watch TNT Sports wherever you are
That’s all there is to it.
Why can’t I access TNT Sports outside the UK?
The reason TNT Sports won’t work outside the UK is because TNT Sports only has the rights to broadcast its content in UK and Ireland. As soon as you leave the country, it will no longer be available.
To protect itself from licensing and copyright issues, TNT Sports blocks users from outside the UK and Ireland. This is why you run into the “access denied” error when trying to stream TNT Sports abroad.
How does TNT Sports block my connection when trying to watch it outside the UK?
When you connect to TNT Sports, the service receives information that allows it to identify your location. It does this by scanning your IP address.
Whenever you go online, your device is allocated a unique IP address. This IP contains information about your location (like the area code on a landline phone)
If you are outside of the UK, your IP address will be scanned by TNT Sports and then blocked. In simple terms, to watch TNT Sports outside of the UK, you need a UK IP address.
VPNs allow you to do this, and we have found that ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) is one of the best VPNs for reliably streaming TNT Sports.
Does TNT Sports block VPNs?
Yes, TNT Sports tries to block VPNs. The good news is it can’t block a VPN entirely. However, it can block the IP addresses a VPN provides.
It does this because if someone was able to watch TNT Sports outside the UK or Ireland with a VPN, it could result in the streaming service being in breach of the copyright and licensing agreements it has in place with its content partners. These sorts of breaches are often very serious and result in huge fines.
The way TNT Sports blocks VPNs is all to do with the IP addresses the VPN provides. Usually, only a household of devices will connect to TNT Sports via the same IP address. This is around 8 to 10 devices. But because VPNs have a large number of customers, they often have to share IP addresses between them. Now there could be hundreds or even thousands of customers connecting to TNT Sports via the same IP address.
TNT Sports can see this and will deem it as an abnormal amount. It will then block that IP address and blacklist it so it can’t connect to TNT Sports. Over time, if the VPN doesn’t have measures in place to prevent this from happening, all of its IP addresses will be blocked, and the VPN will no longer work with the streaming service.
Free VPNs are especially susceptible to these blocking techniques as they don’t have the finances to ensure they constantly refresh and update their available IP addresses.
How does a VPN work?
A VPN creates an encrypted connection over the internet which allows you to surf the web privately.
When you use a VPN, your online traffic is routed through a server in a different location. This masks your connection and encrypts your data into an unreadable code.
To put it simply, when you use a VPN, your online data is sent from your device to the VPN server and then to the online service you’re requesting. Without a VPN, your online data goes directly from your device to the online service.
This process not only gives you a secure internet connection, but it also allows you to make it look like you’re connecting to the internet from a different location.
This will allow you to bypass geo-blocking techniques used by streaming services like TNT Sports.
What VPNs work with TNT Sports?
VPNs are becoming more and more popular, and due to the large market, there has been a massive increase in VPN providers. Some of them are good, some of them are not so good. Lesser VPNs are more easily caught by TNT Sports’ checks, however, good VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) have measures that allow them to stay one step ahead of TNT Sports’ blocks.
To stay a step ahead of TNT Sports’ blocking methods, ExpressVPN plays a cat and mouse game with the service. When TNT Sports blacklists an IP address that has been provided by a VPN, good VPNs like ExpressVPN will close that IP and open a new one. This allows the customer to stay one step ahead of TNT Sports’ checks and allows them to stream TNT Sports outside the UK reliably.
Below is a list of the best VPNs for streaming TNT Sports outside of the UK.
The best VPNs for streaming TNT Sports outside the UK
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
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
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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
- $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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TNT Sports not working with VPN?
If you have a VPN and it’s not working with TNT Sports (formerly known as BT Sport), chances are the streaming service has blocked all the IP addresses your VPN can provide.
Don’t fret. There are a lot of fixes you can try to resolve the problem.
We recommend upgrading to a better VPN that won’t allow this to happen. This will ensure you don’t come across these issues again in the future.
