Lesley

How to play TV programs online with a VPN

Yes, you look like the kind of person who would sell a kidney to have the last episode of that series that everyone watches but that, legally, I'm forbidden to name. It's not a judgment either. Just an observation. But put the knife down and listen to this: you can play your favorite TV shows online from anywhere in the world... and without having to sell your kidneys on Wallapop.

Just keep reading and you'll end up skipping the geo-blocks, like a pro. No hacking skills required.

How to play your favorite programs online with a VPN

1. Install a VPN now

Get HMA! Pro VPN for your Windows, Mac, iPhone or Android device. You'll love it. Your easily impressionable friends will love it, too. Everyone will wonder why you're showing off a VPN at a baby shower.

2. Choose a location, any location

Open your VPN and change your location to wherever your favorite show is available. Want to watch the latest shows from the most popular online playback services? Connect across America. Want to see Aurangabad news? Connect across India and find a better hobby.

3. Use the Internet, as usual,

Open your browser, the online video player service or any other application and do what you want. There's no need to mess around with complicated settings. As long as your VPN is active, you'll look like you're somewhere else, with access to all the content that new location offers - except for those little spy rats.

Why can't I access TV shows abroad?

For many reasons.

It may not surprise you to hear that money plays a part in this, since, as cynical donkeys like to admit, it's the main reason the world turns. Perhaps a film or programme doesn't work well in certain countries, so the studio doesn't want to pay the fees involved in translating it and protecting it with copyright. Maybe it's because censorship laws in certain countries make the content of the program illegal. Or perhaps to stagger a launch or to stop parallel markets. Maybe the studio executives are racist. Maybe... I could go on, but I think you get the point.

In short, if you're not lucky enough to be in a place where a TV show or a movie is played online, you won't be able to watch it. (Sorry, Kim Jong-un. That's all there is to it.) Even the programs you've paid to watch at home will be out of reach in a geographically blocked location.

But that shouldn't be a big problem now, right?

Just use a VeePN.

To view programs from the United States, simply connect to a U.S. VPN server. To watch something from Japan, connect to a server in Japan. And so on. If it wasn't for the search terms I wouldn't have bothered to explain.

That said, not all servers are the same. Some VPNs (like HMA! if I have to give a random and totally unbiased example) have special servers that are designed specifically for online playback and tend to run a little faster and smoother so you don't have to worry about buffering or poor video quality when swallowing all these 90s soap operas that you would never admit to liking.

It also helps to connect to a server in a first world country. The Internet tends to be better there, but if you're stubborn about using a server in Sierra Leone, go ahead.

Can I use a VPN to play online TV programs on mobile devices?

Does a donkey look good in sunglasses?

Don't answer that. You can set up a VPN on almost anything: your PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, your Android phone, your Linux platform, and even your Wi-Fi router if you use HMA! When you've got it all set up, you'll be able to watch your favorite American shows even while you're straining in the foot basins of Japan.