How to watch Now TV outside the UK

The Launch of Now TV in 2012 presented the UK with one of the best media streaming services. Now TV collects the best international television, film and sports and brings it all together on one simple and affordable platform. This content is available on demand, and it’s easy to hook up. It goes for as low a £9.99.

Now TV Entertainment is available for multiple devices including Roku, YouView, LG/ Samsung Smart TV, PS4, PS3, Xbox One/ 360, PC or Mac, iOS and Android devices. However, just like most of the best media streaming services, Now TV is geo-restricted.

Now TV Geo-Restrictions

The implementation of geo-restrictions means that you can only watch Now TV while you are in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. This is due to copyright laws that prevent Now TV from giving access to users from other regions. If you try to access the service outside the UK, you only get ‘Sorry, this service is not available in your region.’

This means that Now TV has a way of knowing where you are located. So what do they use? The answer is your IP address. Your IP address carries a lot of information like the Operating System you are using, your ISP and your location. Now TV checks the IP for location, and if you are outside the UK, then you are denied access.

Circumventing the Geo-restrictions

If you are to get access to Now TV outside the British Isles, then you will have to fool the service into thinking that you are actually in the UK.  The way to do this is to change your IP address. The best and easiest way to change your IP is by the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

A VPN is a subscription-based service that gives users an easy way to keep their online activity private. With a VPN, you are allowed to choose a server that you want to connect to. When you connect, all your traffic is encrypted and tunneled through this server. This means that you will connect to the internet through the VPN’s server instead of your ISP. As a result, you will get a new IP address from the VPN’s server. The IP address you get is from the region where that server is located.

To unblock Now TV, you need to connect to a server based in the UK. You will get a UK IP address. When you try streaming from Now TV, the service will once again check your IP address. It will see that your IP address is from the UK, and give you access!

The Considerations

Unfortunately, some VPNs are not suitable for unblocking streaming services. This is because, for some reason, they don’t tunnel 100% of your traffic, and this leads to IP leaks. When the service detects this, you are automatically denied access.

Further, a lot of devices that allow you to stream Now TV do not support VPNs. You need to find a way to connect your PS4, PS3, or LG/ Samsung SmartTV to an already ‘VPN-ed’ network.

The Solution

To solve both of these problems, you can use the Shellfire Box. Shellfire is a VPN service that is excellent at unblocking even the most notorious streaming sites. It now has a shellfire box that allows you to secure your entire home through an encrypted network. The Shellfire box has the Shellfire VPN, and when you connect the box to your network, it encrypts it through your preferred server and broadcasts the secure network.

You can now connect this secure network to your SmartTV or Playstation and unblock Now TV Entertainment among other services!