If you’re trying to watch YouTube TV outside the US, the streaming service won’t work. You’ll see an error like “YouTube TV is only available in the US.”
This is happening because YouTube TV is a US-based streaming service that’s only available for US-based customers.
This can be frustrating because even if you’re already a subscriber, YouTube TV won’t work when you’re on vacation or are outside the US.
Fortunately, there’s a simple way to watch YouTube TV outside the US. All you need to do is trick the streaming service into thinking you’re still located in the US when accessing the platform/
To do that, you need to change your IP address to a US IP address. The easiest way to do that is with a reliable VPN.
This article will explain how to watch YouTube TV outside the US with a reliable VPN.
See also:
- YouTube TV not working with VPN? There’s an easy FIX!
- YouTube not working with VPN? Here’s some EASY fixes you can try!
How to watch YouTube TV outside the US: Quick Guide
To watch YouTube TV outside the US you need a US-based IP address.
Follow this quick guide to gain access to YouTube TV anywhere in the world:
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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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Go to YouTube TV
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Login to your YouTube TV account (if you don’t have one, read below to find out how to make one)
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Watch YouTube TV outside the US
How to create a YouTube TV account outside the US
If you don’t have a YouTube TV account and want to watch the streaming service outside the US, you’ll have to create one.
Fortunately, this is easy. I’ve created a YouTube TV account in New Zealand and have been reliably watching the streaming service for months.
To create a YouTube TV account, follow these steps:
- Make sure you’re connected to a US server on ExpressVPN ($6.67/month).
- Visit YouTube TV
- Select create an account
- YouTube TV will prompt you to input a US ZIP code. You can use any ZIP code and can find some here.
- Make a note of the ZIP code you’ve chosen
- Input your payment details.
- Where it asks for a ZIP code on payment details, use the one you selected in step 4.
You’ll now have a YouTube TV account. It’s that easy.
Why can’t I watch YouTube TV outside the US?
You need a VPN to watch YouTube TV outside the US because the streaming service isn’t available internationally. It only has the rights to broadcast its content in the US.
If YouTube TV made itself available in other countries, it would be breaching the content and licensing agreements it has with its content partners. These breaches are often met with massive fines.
Because of this, YouTube TV stops anyone outside the US from accessing its service. It does this by using geo-blocking technology, which identifies where you’re located and prevents you from accessing its content.
Why am I getting the “YouTube TV is only available in the US” error?
The reason you’re coming across this error is because YouTube TV is figuring out you aren’t in the US and is blocking your connection. It does this by scanning your IP address when you connect to its service.
Your IP address is a unique code allocated to your device so that it can communicate with online services. The problem with this is that IP addresses contain information about where you’re physically located.
YouTube TV scans every IP address that connects to its servers, and if the geo-information found here shows the connection isn’t coming from within the US, it blocks the connection.
To get around this, you need a US IP address. The best and easiest way to get one is with a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
Can you trick YouTube TV location?
Yes, you can. All you need is a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
These VPNs allow you to make it look like you’re connecting to the internet from within the US. They bypass your online data through their own servers and send it to an internet service provider (ISP) in the States.
The process sounds complicated, but all you have to do is click on the US, and within seconds you’ll be given a US IP address.
Now when you connect to YouTube TV, and it scans your IP address, it will think you’re in the US and you’ll have access to the streaming service and its content.
Can I use a VPN with YouTube TV?
Yes, you can use a VPN with YouTube TV; however, you need to use a VPN that’s compatible with the streaming service.
Because VPNs allow customers to watch YouTube TV in locations where it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content, YouTube TV tries to block VPN connections.
For lesser VPNs, these blocks can be hard to get around and often, they won’t work with YouTube TV.
To ensure you can watch YouTube TV reliably with a VPN, you need a VPN that meets four key criteria. It needs to have fast US-based servers, it needs to be secure, it needs to have a large number of IP addresses, and most importantly, it needs to have measures in place to ensure it can work reliably with YouTube TV.
These criteria are expensive, and most VPNs simply don’t offer these services. Fortunately, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) do. These are the best VPNs to watch YouTube TV outside the US. They work reliably with the streaming service and will always have an IP address for you to connect to.
The best VPNs for YouTube TV
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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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. 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.
Read our NordVPN review.
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3. 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)
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!
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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
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)
