How to watch Sky Go in the USA and elsewhere
Chris
Chris, a UK-born media connoisseur, is an expert in watching international TV. Known as "The Global Screen Wanderer", he has travelled extensively across the globe with long stints away from home. With over 10 years of experience he has become the go-to guru for streaming content from home and abroad.
Sky is one of the most popular TV services in the UK and Europe and when travelling to or living in the United States one question that comes up time and time again is How to watch Sky Go in the USA? It doesn’t actually matter if you’re visiting or living in the USA or anywhere else in the world, the fact of the matter is that Sky is blocked outside the UK and that can be a real disappointment for many people.
Watching Sky Go overseas couldn’t be easier.
In this article I’m going to show you how to watch Sky Go in the USA and elsewhere in the world. It’s a very quick solution that everyone will be able to achieve with very little time and effort and you’ll be pretty surprised that you haven’t heard of it before.
Why is Sky Go blocked and how to watch Sky Go in the USA?
Sky Go is restricted to the country of service. So for example the UK version of Sky that allows subscribers to view Sky Go is limited to being viewed in the United Kingdom and as soon as you step outside you’re blocked – even if you have an active subscription.
Sky Go determines your location based on your IP Address. An IP Address is a unique identifier for your internet connection and is required for the internet to work. Unfortunately from this IP Address Sky understands you’re not in the UK and blocks you from viewing.
The solution is to get a new IP Address. You’ll need one in the United Kingdom even when you’re in the USA, Australia, Spain, France or anywhere else in the world to watch Sky Go. The way to get a new IP Address in the UK is to use a Virtual Private Network service or VPN for short.
What is a VPN and where can I get one
A VPN is a small program or app that sits on your computer, laptop, tablet or phone and makes a connection to a server located in another country. It then pushes everything you do on the internet via that server and because of this you assume the location identity of that server.
So for example, if you wanted to watch Sky Go you would connect to a VPN server in the UK. Everything you now do appears as if you are in the UK even though you might be in the United States, Ukraine, Uganda or even ex U-go-slavia (Ok, I improvised on that one!) – My point being as far as Sky Go is concerned you’re giving the impression you’re in the UK no matter where you actually are.
The process of connecting is extremely simple and I’ll explain a little further down in this article.
VPN services are provided by a range of companies. As with anything in life, there are good VPN providers and bad ones. A few I suggest are IPVanish, Overplay and ExpressVPN Feel free to look around but if you don’t have time to be weighing up all the options then I recommend signing up to IPVanish as I find their service reliable and fast.
Average costs of a VPN service are around US$5-$10 per month with the cheaper prices being available when taking a yearly subscription.
How do I use a VPN
Once you’ve signed up to one of the providers above you’ll be given download links to download software for Windows or Mac or apps for Android or iOS.
You can use the service across your range of devices so you aren’t just limited to one, you can also watch on up to two devices at the same time with IPVanish.
- So first decide which device you want to watch on and download the software or app.
- One installed simply connect to a UK Server and then visit the Sky Go website.
- Rather than being restricted or blocked you’ll now be able to watch Sky Go in the USA or any other country in the world.
You’ll still need a Sky subscription or if you have a friend who can sign up for you in the UK then you can use that but once you have a VPN service you’ll be free to watch Sky Go in the USA or anywhere else in the world!
Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Vpn only half the problem. You need a uk address and uk credit card for sky
Hi Allen,
You’re correct. This is more suitable for someone temporarily travelling.
No, it did NOT work!
Hi,
Just tested, working fine as of today.
Which VPN service are you using as not all work. That’s why you should choose one from the recommended and tested list above.
I will consider it a miracle if I can make this work.
Did you make it work Duncan? Let us know.