Virgin TV is a cable service television network based in the UK. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in the UK and almost half of the population uses it. Being one of the country’s biggest TV program providers, Virgin offers a wide range of media including sports, movies and up to 110 live TV channels depending on your subscription.
Though it is a Cable TV Network, it has an online streaming platform known as Virgin TV Go (formerly Virgin TV Anywhere.)
Virgin TV ‘Anywhere’
Virgin TV Anywhere (as it has been called for years,) is actually a very ironic name. You don’t realize this until the day you try watching its offerings anywhere outside the UK. When you do, you’ll be met with a geo-restriction error page, which is enough to ruin any night.
This is very disappointing, especially for UK expats living in Australia, America, Canada, UAE, or other popular countries. Virgin TV Go doesn’t work in those countries at all, which is quite unfair considering you pay for a subscription.
This practice of blocking content outside a certain region is very much implemented by almost all streaming sites. This includes the big names like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, etc. Most of the time, this is done to comply with content producer policies that only give rights to a certain region.
Circumventing Geo-Restrictions
Thankfully, you don’t just have to sit back and give up on watching Virgin TV Anywhere while abroad. You can still catch up with your favourite shows or watch Live TV on Virgin TV Go if you have the right information. I will show you how.
However, lets first know the basics of geo-blocking.
When you use the internet, you usually have an identity given to you by your IP address. Every IP address is registered under an ISP, which is registered under a specific country.
When you try streaming using Virgin TV Go, the system checks your IP address to determine your location.
If your IP address doesn’t belong to the UK, the app then blocks you from streaming their content. If you have to watch the service, then you have to find a solution to this problem.
Using a VPN to Evade Virgin TV Geo-Restrictions
The best and most efficient method of dealing with these geo-restrictions is with the use of a VPN. A VPN, short for Virtual Private Network, is an online subscription service that lets you spoof your IP address and gain a new online identity.
When you connect to a VPN, it encrypts your traffic and then sends it through an encrypted network system. If you have connected to a certain server, your traffic is passed through that server before proceeding to the internet.
Connecting to this server will, therefore, give you a new IP address. This IP address belongs to the place and country where the server is located.
To watch Virgin TV Anywhere, you have to connect to a UK server. After successful connection, you will recieve a UK IP address. When you try streaming from Virgin TV again, the system will think that you are in the UK and give you access.
How to unblock Virgin TV using a VPN
Below are some simple steps on how to geo spoof your location using a Virtual Private Network.
Firstly, you need to understand that not all VPNs work with Virgin TV. Some VPNs are not effective for unblocking geo-restricted content because they do not tunnel all your traffic, and others are simply blocked by them.
Shellfire VPN is one of the best streaming VPNs that can unblock Virgin TV Anywhere. The VPN has ultra-fast servers in the UK that offer good speeds to allow you to stream your content in HD. Shellfire also has a robust security system to keep you safe from hackers and government surveillance.
Here is how to get the VPN running and unblock Virgin TV Anywhere:
- Go the VPN provider website and subscribe to the VPN service.
- Download the VPN application for your specific device.
- Install the app and start it.
- Connect to a VPN server in the UK.
- Download the Virgin TV Go app for your device, or visit the website.
- Enjoy streaming Virgin TV outside the UK.
This procedure also unblocks other UK channels that are geo-restricted.