PC Magazine - 09.2019

(Ron) #1

Max Eddy


F


ew things move people like watching
sports does, and when fans can’t watch
their favorite teams play, it eats at their
souls. A PCMag reader recently wrote to me to
ask whether it’s possible to use a VPN service to
restore the live sports channels that were part of
their no-longer-accessible cable package. The
question has been edited for brevity:

“I want to use a VPN for watching television
sports. I moved, and my new cable provider
doesn’t carry the station I want. I want to use a
VPN with the router provided by my new cable
company, streaming the channel via a smart TV.
Will that work?”

THE MASTER OF UNBLOCKING
In their message, the reader mentions that they
wish to access channels previously available to
them. That presents a problem, and I don’t think
a VPN will help. As I understand it, cable boxes
communicate directly with cable providers. The
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your box, so the issue isn’t that there is a
geographic block, something a VPN could help
you circumvent.

Should I Use a VPN to


Stream Sports?


COMMENTARY


PC Magazine Senior
Software Analyst Max
Eddy has also written
for publications such
as International Digital
Times, International
Science Times, and
The Mary Sue.
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