Private Internet Access not working with YouTube TV? Try these FIXES! (September 2023)

If you’ve been watching Private Internet Access (PIA) to watch YouTube TV and it isn’t working, YouTube TV has managed to block all of PIA’s current IP addresses.

This can be annoying, especially if it was working and now it’s not.

Fortunately, there’s a few fixes you can try to resolve this issue.

This article will explain how to fix Private Internet Access not working with YouTube TV and how you can prevent these sorts of issues coming up again in the future.

See also:

• YouTube TV not working with VPN? There’s an easy FIX!
• How to watch FuboTV outside the US: It’s EASY!

Private Internet Access not working with YouTube TV: Fixes

Try these fixes in order. If one doesn’t work, move on to the next until you can watch YouTube TV with a VPN again.

Why does YouTube TV block Private Internet Access?

It’s pretty straightforward, YouTube TV blocks PIA because it can potentially allow users to watch the streaming service in locations where YouTube doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content.

YouTube TV only has the rights to broadcast its content in the US. If YouTube allowed customers to access the YouTube TV service outside the US, it would be breaching copyright and licensing agreements it has with its content partners. This can result in massive fines, which obviously, YouTube doesn’t want to face.

To protect itself YouTube TV tries to block PIA or at the very least needs to be seen trying to block the VPN. And if PIA has stopped working with the streaming service, it has been successful in doing so.

How does YouTube TV block PIA?

YouTube TV blocks VPNs using three main techniques:

1. The most common technique is to do with the IP addresses that your VPN can provide. VPN providers have more customers than the number of IP addresses they can provide; this means that customers can use the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When YouTube TV sees hundreds or even thousands of connections coming through on the same IP address, it knows that it is a VPN, and it blocks it. 
2. YouTube TV monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
3. YouTube TV teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, YouTube TV will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from, and it will block you.

Lesser VPNs struggle to get around these blocks, and subsequently, all of their IP addresses get blacklisted by YouTube TV.

This is what has most likely happened to PIA, and it’s why you’re coming across issues using the VPN to watch YouTube TV.

Does YouTube TV work with VPNs?

Although PIA has stopped working with YouTube TV, there are VPNs that still work with the streaming service. These are the VPNs that have powerful measures in place to stay ahead of YouTube TV’s VPN blocks.

The best VPN for this is ExpressVPN ($6.67/month). 

ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) plays a game of cat and mouse with YouTube TV so that if an IP address it provides gets identified and blocked by YouTube TV, it will close that IP address and open a new one. 

This will allow you to watch YouTube TV anywhere in the world reliably, and it will ensure you don’t come across the same errors you have with PIA.

The best VPNs for YouTube TV when PIA isn’t working

1. ExpressVPN 🥇

Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023

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

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.

2. NordVPN 🥉

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

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

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.

3. Ivacy

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

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

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.

4. CyberGhost

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

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

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.