If you’ve been watching Paramount+ with Surfshark and it’s not working, the streaming service has managed to identify and block the IP address Surfshark has given you.
The reason this has happened is because the measures Surfshark has in place to prevent all of its IP addresses from being blocked are no longer working.
This can be frustrating especially if it was working and now it’s not, but don’t panic. There’s a number of fixes you can try to resolve Surfshark not working with Paramount+.
This article will explain how to fix the issue and if you like you can read on to the end to ensure you never come across VPN not working with Paramount+ issues again.
See also:
- How to watch Paramount+ outside the US: The EASY 2-minute method! (September 2023)
- Paramount+ not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes! (September 2023)
Surfshark not working with Paramount+: Fixes
Try these fixes in order, if one doesn’t work move on to the next until you’ve resolved Surfshark not working with Paramount+.
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Delete Cookies
A good place to start when trying to fix Surfshark not working with Paramount+ is deleting your Cookies.
Cookies are small files used to streamline your online experience. They aren’t dangerous files, but they sometimes contain information regarding your location.
If you only intermittently use Surfshark, then some of these Cookies might hold information about your actual physical location.
If Paramount+ sees a discrepancy between the location stored on your Cookies and your actual location, it’ll know you’re using a VPN and will block the connection.
Try deleting your Cookies to see if this resolves Surfshark not working with Paramount+.
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Change to a different server
Surfshark has stopped working with Paramount+ because the IP address the VPN has provided has been blocked by Paramount+.
Fortunately, Paramount+ isn’t able to block Surfshark entirely, only its IP addresses.
Changing to a different Surfshark server will give you a new IP address. And if this IP hasn’t been blocked by Paramount+, Surfshark will work again.
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Change to a different protocol
VPN protocols determine how a VPN reroutes your online data through its servers.
Surfshark might have stopped working with Paramount+ because the protocol you’ve selected is no longer compatible with the platform.
Surfshark supports three protocols WireGuard, IKEv2 and OpenVPN.
Try switching between them to see if that fixes your issue.
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Make sure Surfshark is updated
It’s always a good idea to ensure Surfshark is up to date.
Often when Surfshark isn’t working with a particular streaming service, it’s aware of the issue and will release a fix in an update.
One of these fixes may have been released for Paramount+ and to make sure you’ve got it, ensure Surfshark is updated to its latest version.
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Upgrade to a better VPN
If the above steps don’t fix Surfshark not working with Paramount+, then all of the IP addresses Surfshark can provide have been identified and blocked by Paramount+.
Paramount+ has been able to do this because Surfshark doesn’t have measures in place to stay ahead of Paramount+’s VPN blocking techniques or the measures it does have are no longer working.
You could wait for Surfshark to release new IPs that haven’t been blocked by Paramount+, however seeing as you’ve run into issues already it’s highly likely you’ll run into the same issues in the future.
To fix the issue properly you need to upgrade to a VPN that is able to get around Paramount+’s VPN blocks reliably. We recommend ExpressVPN ($6.67/month).
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) works well with Paramount+, we’ve been using it to watch the streaming service reliably in New Zealand for years without issue.
Why does Paramount+ block Surfshark?
The reason Paramount+ blocks Surfshark is all to do with broadcast rights.
Paramount+ has strict agreements with its content partners regarding where a particular show or movie can be broadcast.
While Paramount+ is available in some countries like Australia and the US, it isn’t available worldwide, meaning it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content all over the world.
If Paramount+ breached these broadcast agreements, it could face severe financial punishments and because Surfshark is a well-known way of watching Paramount+ in regions where it isn’t available it could constitute Paramount+ breaching these agreements.
To prevent this from happening, Paramount+ tries to block Surfshark users from accessing its service.
How does Paramount+ block Surfshark?
Paramount+ blocks Surfshark by monitoring IP addresses connecting to its service.
Surfshark is a popular VPN and because of that, it has far more customers than IP addresses. To accommodate everyone, Surfshark forces users to share IP addresses.
Paramount+ knows this and uses it to its advantage. Usually, only a household of devices (8-10) will use the same IP address to connect to Paramount+. So Surfshark monitors for an abnormal number of connections coming from the same IP.
When a large amount of Surfshark customers is forced to share the same IP, and hundreds o in some cases thousands of people use the same IP address to access Paramount+, the streaming service can easily spot this. It knows it’s a Surfshark IP address and it blocks it.
Does Paramount+ work with VPNs?
Yes, Paramount+ still works with VPNs. However, you need a VPN that is still compatible with the streaming service.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) are good options.
Both of these VPNs have plenty of IP addresses, they have fast servers, and most importantly, they’re very good at getting around Paramount+’s VPN blocks.
When Paramount+ blocks an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), these VPNs will close that IP address and open a new one.
This simple process will allow you to watch Paramount+ reliably anywhere in the world. And it will prevent you from running into the same issues you have come across with Surfshark.
The best VPNs for Paramount+
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.
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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).
Special Offer – Save 83%
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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
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.
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(30-day money-back guarantee)
