If you’re trying to watch Spark Sport with a VPN and it’s stopped working, Spark Sport has blacklisted the IP address that your VPN is rerouting your connection through.
If you want to watch Spark Sport from outside NZ, you need to find a VPN that gives you access to New Zealand-based IP addresses that aren’t blocked by Spark Sport. It’s as simple as that.
But that’s easier said than done.
New Zealand isn’t a major market for VPN providers, and this is a problem for a couple of reasons.
First of all, VPNs tend not to invest in many New Zealand IP addresses in the first place (because the demand for them is so small). Secondly, if/when those IP addresses get blacklisted by streaming services, the VPN providers are slow to react and roll out fresh (unblacklisted) IP addresses.
Fortunately, there are some fixes you can try to resolve Spark Sport not working with VPN.
See also:
- Can I get BritBox in NZ?
- How to use the Watch NRL app in NZ and Australia
- How to watch ITV Hub in NZ: Get ITV Player in New Zealand
Spark Sport not working with VPN: Fixes
To fix Spark Sport not working with VPN, all you need to do is follow these simple steps:
Total Time: 2 minutes
-
Delete Cookies
Spark Sport doesn’t support VPNs. It uses a number of techniques to figure out if you’re using a VPN and if it finds you are, it will block the IP address your VPN has given you.
The information stored on your Cookies is a way Spark Sport can identify if you’re using a VPN.
Cookies are small files used to make your online experience more streamlined. On occasion they do this by storing information regarding your physical location. Spark Sport can potentially access this location information and if the location stored on your Cookies is different from the location you’ve selected on your VPN, it knows you’re using a VPN and blocks the connection.
To fix this, try deleting your Cookies.
-
Change to a different NZ server
This can be a tricky fix as most VPNs don’t have NZ servers let alone more than one.
If your VPN has more than one NZ server try changing to one you’re not already using. This will provide you with a different IP address.
If that one hasn’t already been blocked by Spark Sport then your VPN will work again.
-
Change to a different protocol
Because NZ is a small market, VPNs don’t prioritise NZ servers.
If your VPN does have a NZ server and it’s not working with Spark Sport, see if the VPN supports multiple protocols.
VPN protocols are rules that determine how the VPN reroutes your internet data. Some protocols prioritise speed while some prioritise security and some are a mixture of both.
Your VPN may have stopped working with Spark Sport because the protocol either isn’t fast enough or isn’t secure enough so that Spark Sport can’t figure out, you’re using a VPN.
Try changing to a different protocol and see if that fixes VPN not working with Spark Sport.
-
Upgrade to a VPN with reliable NZ servers
If none of the above fixes resolved Spark Sport not working with VPN, your VPN isn’t reliable enough to allow you to watch Spark Sport outside NZ.
To fix the issue, you need to use a VPN with reliable NZ servers. We recommend ExpressVPN ($6.67/month).
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) has one New Zealand server that I’ve never had issues with. I’ve been able to watch Spark Sport overseas reliably in multiple countries.
The reason ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) is so good is it uses its own super-fast protocol called Lightway, it has a 24/7 support team in case you run into any issues, and it has measures in place to ensure it works reliably with Spark Sport.
If you want to watch Spark Sport overseas reliably, upgrade to ExpressVPN ($6.67/month).
Remember: NZ is a small market, VPNs don’t dedicate many resources to NZ streaming services like Spark Sport.
So, to be on the safe side, I advise you to purchase these VPNs on a month-by-month basis. All of the VPNs I recommend below offer 30-day money-back guarantees – so you can get a full refund if you need to!
Why won’t Spark Sport work outside NZ?
The “this content is not available in your country,” error is coming up because Spark Sport only has streaming rights in NZ. Spark pays a lot for these rights, and because of this, it tries to protect its investment by only being available in NZ.
This is called “geo-blocking,” and it’s the reason why you cannot connect to Spark Sport outside of NZ.
To get around this, you need to use a VPN. A VPN will trick Spark Sport into thinking that you are connecting from inside NZ.
It does this by changing your IP Address. IP addresses identify where in the world you are connecting to the internet. A VPN will provide an NZ based IP address, and it will allow you to watch Spark Sport from anywhere in the world.
Which VPNs work with Spark Sport?
This is a bit of a fluid situation. Some days I find that ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) work perfectly with Spark Sport.
But remember, Spark doesn’t actually block VPNs. It blocks the IP addresses it detects as belonging to VPNs. It does this in 3 ways:
- Spark monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks. This is a simple test meaning your IP address will be identified and blacklisted from viewing content abroad.
- There are GeoIP databases that collect IP address information. If your VPN uses an IP address on one of these databases, your connection will be blocked from viewing Spark Sport content abroad.
- Spark will perform their IP address checks. If many connections come from the same IP address, it will be blacklisted.
Why is Spark Sport Not working with VPN?
This last point is important, as it’s likely the main reason your VPN has stopped working with Spark Sport. Each IP address represents a single internet connection. And usually an IP address will only have 2-6 users connecting to the internet through it at any given time (picture the average number of people living in a house).
However, when Spark Sport is broadcasting a big game and hundreds/thousands of users are trying to connect to watch its content through a shared (VPN) IP address, it becomes easy for Spark Sport to spot connections that are legitimate and those that belong to VPN servers.
In other major markets – such as the US or the UK – VPN providers will buy thousands of IP addresses to spread the load, and therefore avoid detection. Some VPNs also play a game of Cat and Mouse with streaming services, where they will close blacklisted IP addresses and replace them with fresh (undetected) IPs to keep their customers happy.
However, like I said above, the demand for New Zealand IP addresses isn’t strong enough for VPNs to dedicate that sort of cost and resource. Which is why I suggest only signing up to VPNs on a month-by-month basis if your main reason for using them is to steam Spark Sport, or other New Zealand-based TV.
The best VPNs to watch Spark Sport outside NZ
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. 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.
SPECIAL OFFER – SAVE 70%!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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!
(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)
