Virgin TV Go not working with VPN

If you’ve been watching Virgin TV Go with a VPN and it’s stopped working or is not working to start with, the VPN you’re using is getting blocked by Virgin.

Because Virgin TV Go is geo-locked to the UK, Virgin uses VPN blocking techniques to ensure no one can access the streaming service outside the UK.

Your VPN has stopped working because the IP address it has given you has been identified and blocked by Virgin.

This can be frustrating, especially if you’re a Virgin Media subscriber and you want to watch what you’ve paid for overseas.

Fortunately, there are a number of fixes you can try to resolve Virgin TV Go not working with VPN. This article will explain the fixes, and you can read to the bottom of the article to find out how to ensure you never run into these errors again.

See also:

Virgin TV Go not working with VPN: Fixes

  1. Delete Cookies

    Cookies 1

    Cookies are small files stored on your device to improve your online experience. Virgin Media uses Cookies for several reasons. It allows you to log in faster, remembers your viewing trends and more.

    The problem with these files is although they aren’t dangerous to your device, they sometimes hold information regarding your physical location. Virgin can potentially access this information.

    If the location stored on your Cookies differs from the location you’re selecting with your VPN. Virgin knows you’re using a VPN, and it will block the IP address you’re using.

    Deleting your Cookies is a good place to start when trying to fix Virgin TV Go not working with VPN.

  2. Change to a different server

    Windscribe UK Servers

    The good news is Virgin can’t block a VPN in its entirety. However, it can block the IP addresses it provides.

    If you were using a VPN and it suddenly stopped working with Virgin TV Go, the IP address you’ve been given has been blocked.

    Changing to a different server will give you a different IP address. If that one hasn’t been blocked, your VPN will work again.

  3. Try a different protocol

    Protocols

    VPN protocols are a set of rules that determine how your data is transferred through a VPNs server.

    There are many different protocols. Some are faster than others, some are more secure.

    Virgin TV Go might not be working because the protocol you’re using is no longer compatible with the streaming service.

    Check if your VPN supports multiple protocols and changes between them to see if that fixes Virgin TV Go not working with VPN.

  4. Update your VPN 

    UPdate/reinstalll VPN

    It’s always a good idea to keep your VPN updated. Virgin TV Go might have stopped working with your VPN because of an error with the VPN software.

    Most of the time, these errors are known to the VPN, and they will release a fix in an update.

    Try updating or reinstalling your VPN to ensure you have the latest version, along with any error fixes that may resolve Virgin TV Go not working with VPN.

  5. Upgrade to a VPN that works with Virgin TV Go

    ExpressVPN iOS

    If the above fixes haven’t resolved Virgin TV Go not working with VPN, your VPN isn’t good enough to ensure it works consistently with the streaming service.

    It has stopped working because all of the IP addresses it has, have been identified and blocked.

    The best way to fix this is to upgrade to a VPN that has a good track record with Virgin TV Go and that has measures in place to ensure all of its IP addresses don’t get blocked.

    The best VPN for Virgin TV Go is ExpressVPN ($6.67/month)ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) has fast servers all over the world, it’s incredibly secure, it has a 24/7 technical helpline, and most importantly, it has measures in place to ensure it works reliably with Virgin TV Go anywhere in the world. 

    If an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) gets blocked by Virgin, this VPN will close that IP and open a new unblocked one to ensure there’s always one for you to connect to. With ExpressVPN ($6.67/month), you’re far less likely to run into the same issues you’re coming across with your current VPN.

Does Virgin TV Go work with VPN?

Yes, Virgin TV Go works with VPNs, however you need to use a VPN that has measures in place to remain compatible with the streaming service.

Virgin tries to block VPNs from accessing its content, and these blocks are hard to get around. Many VPNs, especially free ones, struggle to beat Virgin’s blocking techniques.

Fortunately, there are VPNs available that have the infrastructure to ensure they can stay one step ahead of Virgin. These are ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.19/month).

Both ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.19/month) use a simple measure to ensure they work reliably with Virgin TV Go. If an IP address provided by these VPNs gets blocked by Virgin, they’ll close that IP and open a new one to ensure there’s always an unblocked IP address for you.

This measure seems simple, but it requires a lot of financial backing and infrastructure. Most VPNs simply can’t do this.

Virgin TV Go not working with VPN

Why does Virgin TV Go block VPNs?

This is all to do with the copyright and licensing agreements Virgin has with its content partners.

Virgin TV Go is a UK-based streaming service that only has the rights to broadcast its content in the UK. If it made itself available outside the UK, it would be breaching the copyright and licensing agreements it has with its content partners. This can result in massive financial repercussions.

Because VPNs allow you to watch Virgin TV Go outside the UK, it could result in these sorts of breaches. To prevent that, Virgin constantly monitors for VPN connections and tries to block them.

How does Virgin block VPNs?

The way Virgin blocks VPNs is all to do with the IP address your VPN gives you.

Every time someone connects to Virgin TV Go, their IP address is scanned by the streaming service. Virgin does this because it’s looking for an abnormal number of connections coming from the same IP address.

Usually, only a household of devices, up to 10, connect to Virgin TV Go via the same IP. This is considered a normal amount.

Unfortunately, for lesser VPNs, especially free VPNs, they aren’t able to give all of their customers an individual IP address, and they force them to be shared.

This means there are potentially hundreds or thousands of connections coming to Virgin TV Go via the same IP address. This is deemed abnormal by Virgin and is an easy way for it to spot a VPN IP address and block it.

Virgin TV Go not working with VPN

How can I get around Virgin’s VPN blocks?

The best way to get around Virgin’s VPN blocks is to upgrade to a VPN that meets three criteria:

  • Has fast servers worldwide
  • Has secure connections so there are no data leaks
  • Has measures in place to stay one step ahead of Virgin’s VPN blocks

 ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.19/month) meet all of these criteria. They both have fast servers all over the world, especially in the UK. They’re incredibly secure, and they have measures in place to ensure they work reliably with Virgin TV Go. 

Although unlikely, if an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.19/month) gets blocked by Virgin, these VPNs will close that IP and open a new unblocked one, so there’s always one for you to use. 

Below is a list of VPNs that all work well with Virgin TV Go.

The best VPNs for Virgin TV Go

1. ExpressVPN 🥇

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

ExpressVPN UK screenshot

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
Best VPN list - ExpressVPN

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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
  • Netflix icon
  • BBC iPlayer icon
  • ESPN icon
  • Hulu icon
  • HBO Max icon
  • Disney icon
  • Amazon Prime Video icon
  • YouTube TV icon
  • Apple TV Plus icon
  • FuboTV icon
  • ShowTime icon
  • Discovery Plus icon
  • ABC icon
  • All 4 icon
  • NowTV icon
  • CBS icon
  • NBC icon
  • Sky Sports icon
  • BT Sport icon

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. NordVPN 🥈

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

NordVPN US screenshot mobile

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
Best VPN list - NordVPN

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
  • Netflix icon
  • BBC iPlayer icon
  • ESPN icon
  • Hulu icon
  • HBO Max icon
  • Disney icon
  • Amazon Prime Video icon
  • YouTube TV icon
  • Apple TV Plus icon
  • FuboTV icon
  • ShowTime icon
  • Discovery Plus icon
  • ABC icon
  • All 4 icon
  • NowTV icon
  • CBS icon
  • NBC icon
  • Sky Sports icon
  • BT Sport icon
  • ITV Hub icon
  • Spark Sport icon
  • CBC Gem icon

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!

Best VPN list - PIA

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
Best VPN list - PIA

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
  • Netflix icon
  • BBC iPlayer icon
  • ESPN icon
  • Hulu icon
  • HBO Max icon
  • Disney icon
  • Amazon Prime Video icon
  • YouTube TV icon
  • Apple TV Plus icon
  • FuboTV icon
  • ShowTime icon
  • Discovery Plus icon
  • ABC icon
  • All 4 icon
  • NowTV icon
  • CBS icon
  • NBC icon
  • Sky Sports icon
  • BT Sport icon

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).

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4. Ivacy

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

Ivacy US screenshot mobile

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
Best VPN - Ivacy on Mac

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
  • Netflix icon
  • BBC iPlayer icon
  • ESPN icon
  • Hulu icon
  • HBO Max icon
  • Disney icon
  • Amazon Prime Video icon
  • YouTube TV icon
  • Apple TV Plus icon
  • FuboTV icon
  • ShowTime icon
  • Discovery Plus icon
  • ABC icon
  • All 4 icon
  • NowTV icon
  • CBS icon
  • NBC icon
  • Sky Sports icon
  • BT Sport icon
  • ITV Hub icon
  • Spark Sport icon
  • CBC Gem icon

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.

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5. CyberGhost

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

CyberGhost UK screenshot

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
CyberGhost
CyberGhost

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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
  • Netflix icon
  • BBC iPlayer icon
  • ESPN icon
  • Hulu icon
  • HBO Max icon
  • Disney icon
  • Amazon Prime Video icon
  • YouTube TV icon
  • Apple TV Plus icon
  • FuboTV icon
  • ShowTime icon
  • Discovery Plus icon
  • ABC icon
  • All 4 icon
  • NowTV icon
  • CBS icon
  • NBC icon
  • Sky Sports icon
  • BT Sport icon

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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Patch Bowen is a VPN expert who has trialed, tested and used different VPNs all over the world. He loves the latest technology especially when it comes to gaming. Patch Bowen is also an experienced Tech Reviewer. Whether it's laptops, smartphones, earbuds or keyboards he's seen it all.