My colleague Ben Moore has spent some time
looking at sports-streaming services and tells me
there are some unusual caveats sports fans
should keep in mind. Notably, he says these
services are subject to the same coverage
blackouts as cable, and some broadcasts are
restricted to certain regions or local markets
depending on distribution rights. He also says
only national sports broadcasts (for the most
part) are available to everyone. Depending on
what you want to watch, and where you’re
located, your best bet might be to skip streaming
altogether and, unfortunately, explore what cable
packages are available.
USING A VPN WITH YOUR TV
While a VPN is probably the wrong tool for
tackling our reader’s question, there are reasons
to use a VPN with a TV. You might want to spoof
your location so the TV itself can access
streaming content in other countries, or you may
be sensitive to an ISP or other third party
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For this, you’ll need either a smart TV that can
connect to your network and stream video
directly via its own apps or a connected streaming
box such as a Roku or Apple TV.
Once you’ve done that, you can try and run a VPN
on your TV or streaming box directly. Some VPN
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stores. Just download, enter your credentials, and
you should—in theory—be online. I haven’t tested
any of these apps, so I’m hedging my bets as to
whether they work.
Max Eddy
Your best bet
might be to
skip streaming
altogether and,
unfortunately,
explore what
cable packages
are available.
