Learn how to use a cheap and reliable VPN to live stream sports online.
It's easy to watch live sports online!
You don’t want to miss any of the action, but how can you watch live sports events when you're far from home or don't have cable?
Our no-nonsense guide shows you how to stream live sports online, right from your phone or computer. We'll tell you everything you need to know to avoid a message like, “Sorry, the content you are trying to watch cannot be viewed from your location”.
'Watch Live Sports Online' Contents (select to expand)
How Can I Watch Live Sports Online?
The easiest way to stream sports is to use a reliable and fast VPN provider, like PureVPN. When you use PureVPN to connect to a server in another location, it fools streaming services into thinking you really are in that location. And boom, just like that, you can now watch the local broadcasts without a problem.
For example, if BBC and ITV are officially streaming an event via their online players BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub, simply connect your VPN service to a server in the UK, then access BBC iPlayer or ITV Hub to watch the event!
It really is that simple.
And it works exactly the same for matches broadcast online in any country.
Best VPN for Watching Live Sports Online
PureVPN is our #1 recommended VPN for streaming sports online. It's fast, reliable, and has lots of servers around the world, including in the US, Canada, most of Europe, Australia, India, and many more.
Upcoming Live Streaming Sports Events
Check this schedule for an updated list of upcoming sports events around the world.
Be Wary of Websites Offering Free Streaming of Live Sports
If you stick with our recommendation, you'll also be safe. That’s because you'll be accessing your online broadcast via a reliable VPN service.
Don’t simply type “watch online sports for free” into Google. Sure, you will get lots of hits, but many or even most of these websites will not be safe. Worse yet, do not download any “plugins” you are invited to install that promise free sports streaming online. There's a high chance that these downloads will contain malware.
Hackers prey on sports fans in who are eager to watch the latest event, and they'll use the opportunity to infect your computer with malware, hack you, and more.
Stay safe by accessing live sport events online through official broadcasters’ sites and their player apps, while using a trusted VPN.
Even if you beat the odds and find a free online sports streaming service that isn’t serving malware or trying to screw you in some way, these sites are prone to brutal buffering, lagging and crashing, usually at exactly the wrong moment!
That’s because the more exciting or popular the sporting event, the more people will be trying to access the “free” service.
You wouldn’t want to miss the end of an exciting event or match featuring your favorite star athletes by relying on a dodgy free service.
A premium VPN like PureVPN is your best bet. It will let you stream all of the events you want to see, while keeping you safe in the process.
Official TV Channels Broadcasting Sporting Events Online
If you are wondering which TV broadcaster acquired the rights to show the sporting event you are interested in, check out sources such as listings on Wikipedia.
Remember, connecting to a VPN proxy server in a country makes it seem as if you live in that country and this lets you access the official national streaming broadcasts of your choice no matter where you actually live.
Problems Trying to Stream and Watch Live Sports Online
COUNTRY | POPULAR SPORTS BROADCASTERS |
|---|---|
EUROPE |
|
| Albania | RTSH and SuperSport |
| Austria | ORF |
| Belgium | VRT and RTBF |
| Bulgaria | BNT and TV+ |
| Czech Republic | ČT, TV Nova and Český Rozhlas |
| Denmark | DR and TV2 |
| Estonia | ERR and MTG |
| Finland | Yle |
| France | France Télévisions and Canal+ |
| Germany | ARD, ZDF and ERT |
| Greece | ? (please let us know!) |
| Hungary | MTVA |
| Ireland | RTÉ |
| Italy | Sky Italia and RAI |
| Latvia | LTV and MTG |
| Lithuania | LNK, Lietuvos rytas TV and MTG |
| Luxembourg | RTL |
| Netherlands | NOS |
| Norway | TV 2 |
| Poland | TVP |
| Portugal | RTP and Sport TV |
| Romania | TVR |
| Slovakia | RTVS and TV Nova |
| Slovenia | RTV Slovenija |
| Spain | RTVE |
| Sweden | MTG |
| Switzerland | SRG SSR |
| Ukraine | NTKU |
| United Kingdom (UK) | BBC |
AMERICAS |
|
| Brazil | Rede Globo, Rede Record, Rede Bandeirantes, ESPN , Fox Sports and SporTV |
| Canada | CBC/Radio-Canada (bilingual), TSN (English) and RDS (French) |
| Costa Rica | ? (please let us know!) |
| Mexico | Canal 22 and Canal Once |
| United States | NBCUniversal |
OCEANIA |
|
| Australia | Seven Network |
| New Zealand | Sky Television |
ASIA |
|
| Hong Kong | TVB |
| Japan | Japan Consortium |
| Malaysia | Astro, HyppTV and RTM |
| Philippines | Sports5 (TV5, AksyonTV, Hyper, Cignal) |
| Singapore | Mediacorp |
| South Korea | SBS |
| Thailand | TV Pool |
| Turkey | FOX |
| Vietnam | VTV |
AFRICA - |
|
| South Africa | SABC and SuperSport |
But what if you can’t access the channel you want to watch? In fact, there are two major obstacles when trying to watch sports online:
1) Geolocation Restrictions
Geo-restriction measures restrict your ability to stream sports coverage from the country or region of your choice. With so many events taking place, each national TV broadcaster will focus on its own country's athletes and preferred events.
For example:
- Maybe you live overseas but want to watch the broadcasts in your own language. For example, maybe you are a US or UK citizen working overseas in a country that doesn’t offer local broadcasts in the English language. Some people will live stream the video and listen to a live radio broadcast for the audio in their own language.
- Even if you live in a country that speaks your language, maybe you simply prefer the coverage offered in your original home country because national broadcasters usually show events of most interest to their local viewers. For example, let’s say that you live in London, England but are interested in the results and progress from USA athletes. Or vice versa.
- Or, maybe the channel is a pay channel that you can’t access. This is similar to the classic “I can’t access Netflix where I live” problem.
Anyway, you get the idea.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking sports organizations and broadcasters is only care about the love of sport. It’s also about money, especially for the organizer's ad license holders.
These folks and their minions are bent on dividing up the world into as many geographical zones as possible, each with restricted access to the digital rights of sporting events, in order to maximize their advertising and broadcast licensing revenues.
2) ISP Throttling
The second challenge you face is not often mentioned, but it’s the throttling of your Internet connection by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
The very high volume of online traffic generated by some sporting events and the large number of people simultaneously trying to stream the video content can mean congestion on ISP networks leading them to throttle, slow down and buffer your connection. The end result is a miserable online sports viewing experience for you.
Stream Sports Online the Fast & Easy Way
Don’t be left out of all the exciting action.
The best way to stream sporting events online is to use a reliable and fast VPN provider, like PureVPN. A VPN service lets you appear to live in the same country as the official TV streaming broadcaster whose sports coverage you want to watch, and to avoid bandwidth throttling by your ISP, since your traffic is encrypted by the VPN.
Using a VPN Service is the best way to Watch Live Sports online
It takes only a moment to sign up for a VPN service and download its app. Then you launch the VPN app enter the username and password you generated, choose the country you want to connect to, and start streaming sports (or any other content) as if you lived in that country. Easy!
What’s the Best VPN to Watch Live Sports Online?
All that’s left then is the choice about which VPN service you should use to watch sports online as there are over 200 VPNs to choose from!
Cogipas.com is a trusted source of VPN information and we recommend PureVPNPureVPN as the overall best VPN service for streaming sports.
They get our nod because they are reliable, fast and have lots of proxy servers located all around the world. As you can see in the table, the best live streaming VPNs have hundreds of proxy servers in dozens of countries.
Is it Free to Watch Live Sports Online?
Using a VPN to watch sports online is not free but it is darn cheap.
If you will use a VPN for other things such as anonymous torrenting, protecting you on Wi-Fi hotspots and preventing online tracking, a great all-rounded VPN like PureVPN offers great value for an annual plan (with the solid discount PureVPN offers to Cogipas.com readers).
If you intend to use a VPN only for a one-off sporting event, just sign up for 1 month.
Want to Learn More about How to Watch Live Sports Online?
Here are some other good guides we’ve seen on how to watch live sports online:
- https://securethoughts.com/3-best-vpns-for-live-sports-streaming/
- https://www.bestvpn.com/vpn-comparison/best-vpn-for-sports/
Happy streaming!
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