If you’re trying to watch US TV channels like HBO Max, Hulu or even US Netflix, you’ll come across errors and you won’t be able to access any content.
This is happening because these streaming services don’t have the rights to broadcast their content outside the US.
Even if you’re already a subscriber to these services they won’t work in Mexico.
This can be frustrating, but fortunately there’s a very simple way to get around this. All you need is a reliable VPN.
This article will explain how to watch US TV in Mexico using a VPN.
See also:
- How to watch US TV in Australia: The EASY way! (September 2023)
- How to use Bet365 in the US: The EASY method! (September 2023)
How to watch US TV in Mexico: Quick Guide
To watch US TV in Mexico you need a reliable VPN.
To get one, all you need to do is follow these simple steps below:
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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 US server
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Watch US TV in Mexico
Why can’t I watch US TV in the US?
US streaming services aren’t available in Mexico because they don’t have the rights to broadcast their content there.
Most US TV channels only have the rights to broadcast their content inside US borders, they do not have the rights to broadcast their content internationally.
The copyright and licensing agreements US streaming services like HBO Max, and US Netflix have with their content partners stipulate that the content can only be broadcast in the US. If US streaming services were made available in Mexico they would breach these agreements and could face severe financial punishments.
It goes without saying, US-based streaming services don’t want this to happen. To stop this from happening US TV channels block users from accessing their content outside of US.
They do this using geo-blocking technology which identifies your location and blocks you if you are aren’t inside the US
How do US streaming services know I’m not in the US?
The way US streaming services identify your location is all to do with your IP address.Whenever you connect to the internet, your device is assigned a unique IP address. When you connect to a website or online service your IP address is sent to that service’s servers. The problem with this is your IP address contains information about your physical location.For example, if you try and connect to Hulu, your IP address is sent to Hulu’s servers. Hulu then scans your IP address for the information that discloses your location.
As soon as the US streaming service sees you aren’t in its broadcast zone, it will block your connection.
To get around this you need to make it look like you’re accessing Hulu from within the US. Basically you need a US IP address. The easiest way to get one is with a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
What is a VPN?
A VPN (virtual private network) is a service that provides you with an encrypted online connection. Encryption is a method where your online information is scrambled into an unreadable code.
This encryption provides you with an anonymous internet connection, meaning US Streaming services cannot identify where you’re located.
The most important thing a VPN does though is it allows you to make it look like your internet connection is coming from somewhere else. The best VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) allow you to select a server. This selection will give you an IP address in the country where the server is based. When you select a VPN server, your internet connection now uses the IP address of that specific server, not your real IP address.
To watch US TV in the US, all you need to do is connect to a US server, your internet traffic will be rerouted through a US IP address and this will fool the channel you are trying to watch into thinking you are trying to view the service from within US borders.
The best VPNs have servers all over the world. They also provide fast and reliable US servers so you can consistently watch US TV in the US. We recommend ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month)
Do US streaming services block VPNs?
The quick answer is yes they do, however, they don’t have the capacity to block an entire VPN service, only the IP addresses the VPN provides.
US TV channels block IP addresses provided by VPNs using three main methods.
- Streaming services constantly monitor for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks. This test is basic. But cheaper VPNs will fail it, meaning your connection isn’t fully secure and will be blacklisted. Good VPNs such as ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will not fail this basic test.
- There are GeoIP databases that collect IP information and verify the IP address you are connecting from. If your VPN is using an IP address that is in one of these databases you won’t be able to stream US TV in the US.
- US streaming services make their own IP checks. If the channel detects a large number of connections coming from the same IP address at the same time, they know that that is an IP address provided by a VPN and they will blacklist that IP address.
How do I get around US TV channels blocking my VPN?
It’s very simple, you need a good VPN provider that stays one step ahead of the checks.
A good VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will play a game of cat and mouse with US TV streaming services.
When the channel, blacklists an IP address provided by these VPNs, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close that IP address and open a new one. This means you will be able to consistently watch your favourite US TV in the US without needing to worry about your service being blacklisted.
Below is a list of all the best VPNs to watch US TV in Mexico. They all play cat and mouse with streaming services and they all have fast, reliable US servers to use.
The best VPNs to watch US TV in the US
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
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)
