In this article I will show you how to watch Sky Sports Now outside New Zealand.
When you try and stream Sky Sports Now outside of NZ, an error will come up, and you won’t be able to stream any content. This is a pain. Especially if you’re hoping to watch a big sporting event. Don’t panic; there is a quick and easy fix to this problem.
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Watch Sky Sports Now outside New Zealand: Quick Fix
To watch Sky Sports Now outside of New Zealand, you need to get a VPN that is compatible with Sky Sports Now. With one in four people using VPNs globally, many VPN providers are out there. Not all of these providers can effectively stream Sky Sports Now. But there are a few that do have the connection speeds and reliability you need, to stream Sky Sports Now outside of NZ.
These quick steps will show you how to watch Sky Sports Now outside of New Zealand:
Total Time: 2 minutes
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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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Connect to a server in NZ
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Watch Sky Sports Now wherever you are
Note: Before you go any further, I feel duty-bound to tell you that there’s no silver bullet for unblocking Sky Sport Now outside NZ (yet). This is because the market (aka Kiwi expats) is too small for VPNs to dedicate the resources needed to constantly monitor and provide working connections. With that in mind, I recommend only signing up for a VPN on a month-by-month basis. All major VPNs offer a generous 30-day money-back guarantee that entitles you to a full refund.
Why won’t Sky Sports Go work outside NZ?
You are running into an error when trying to stream Sky Sports Go outside of NZ because Sky does not have the rights to stream its content anywhere in the world.
Sky only has the rights to stream its content in NZ. These rights are worth a lot of money, and because of this, Sky tries to protect its investment by only allowing connections to the service from within NZ borders.
This is why you are getting “geo-blocked,” when trying to connect to Sky Sports Now outside of NZ. To get past these blocks, you need a VPN that can make it seem like you’re connecting to Sky Sports Now from within NZ.
To do this, you need to change your IP address. IP addresses contain information identifying where in the world it is you are connecting to the internet. This all sounds very complicated but don’t worry a VPN simplifies the process and does everything for you. By using a good VPN, you can reliably and quickly connect to Sky Sports Now from anywhere in the world.
Does Sky block VPNs?
Yes, Sky is continuously searching for VPN to stop them from streaming their content. They do this in three ways:
- Sky 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 Sky Sports Now content abroad.
- Sky will perform their own IP address checks. If many connections come from the same address, Sky will blacklist it.
Lesser VPN providers are more likely to get tripped up by these checks. This could be expensive and you’ll still not be able to stream Sky Sports Now outside of NZ. To reliably connect to Sky Sports Now from anywhere in the world, you need a good, fast and secure VPN.
Please see the bottom of the article for a list of good VPN providers.
What VPNs will work with Sky Sports Now outside of NZ?
The VPNs that will consistently and reliably allow you to watch Sky Sports Now outside of NZ are the ones that play “cat and mouse,” with Sky.
This “cat and mouse” game ensures that there is an IP address that you can use to connect to Sky Sports Now outside of NZ at all times.
When Sky identifies and blacklists an IP address, good VPN providers like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close that IP address and open a new one, ensuring that you can stay one step ahead of Skys checks when trying to stream Sky Sports Now.
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.
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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).
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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.
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(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
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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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Is watching Sky Sports Now with a VPN legal?
Yes, watching Sky Sports Now with a VPN is legal, however it does go against the streaming services terms and conditions.
When you sign up to Sky Sports Now, you automatically agree to its terms of use. These are a set of rules that detail what you’re allowed and are not allowed to do with the streaming service. In here it says, “To sign up to the Sky Sport Now Services you must be located in New Zealand, be 18 years of age or older, have a valid and current email address, a New Zealand billing address, and comply with these Terms.” and “You must not, and you must not attempt or assist, authorise, enable or permit anyone else, to: remove, circumvent, or interfere with any of the copyright notices or attributions, content protection, rights management, encryption or security technologies used for our Services or content.”
What this means is Sky Sports Now doesn’t guarantee that its content or platform is available outside New Zealand, and if you use a VPN to access the streaming service outside New Zealand it may block or ban your account.
With that said there are many legitimate and legal use cases for VPNs, like online privacy and anonymity. It’s fair to suggest that banning customers for using a VPN would be a heavy-handed and financially costly policy for Sky Sports Now (and other streaming services) to enforce.
In theory, if you’re trying to watch a streaming service (that you pay for) in a region where it does not traditionally operate, you risk having your account banned. However, as the best VPNs use military-grade encryption, it’s impossible for streaming services to trace where you’re physically accessing its content from. And there’s one final thing to note on the subject: Sky Sports Now has never banned anyone for using a VPN to access its service.
Also, it’s important to know that if you’re using a VPN to access Sky Sports Now in a country where VPNs are restricted or prohibited, then using one is illegal and is not advised. The countries that heavily restrict VPNs are China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, North Korea, Iraq, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Seychelles, Suriname, Namibia, Slovenia, Nicaragua and Tajikistan.
For more information you can check out our article answering Is streaming with a VPN legal?
