We’re well into the 2023 sports season and everyone around the world is keen to watch the exciting competitions that are on display. From football to NASCAR, and even major tennis tournaments, there’s an incredible lineup of sporting events taking place in 2023 and beyond. You don’t want to be missing out on any of the action this year as sporting events all around the world are kicking into high gear.
The only problem is that we’re often limited to watching sporting events in our region. So, if you’re traveling to Australia you might not be able to tune into a NASCAR stream. That’s because you’ll run into geo-blocking restrictions. These blockades have brought a ton of frustration to internet users and streamers all over the world. Geo-blocking will stop you from watching all of your favorite sports when you’re traveling overseas. It will also prevent you from streaming new sports that you’re trying to get into — for example, if you want to watch the NBA from Japan.
Luckily though, there is a way that you can overcome these geo-blocking restrictions and stream all of your favorite sports events from anywhere in the world. You can even stream sports for free! However, it’s important to keep in mind that you will need the help of a cybersecurity tool if you want to use this life hack. Keep reading to find out why sports streaming is different all over the world and how you can tune into any stream!
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Streaming From Anywhere
Let’s dive into streaming restrictions first. Why exactly is it so difficult to stream sports from anywhere in the world? Surely it would be beneficial for Sky Sports to stream Formula 1 in multiple different countries rather than restricting potential customers from tuning into their broadcast?
It all comes down to the licensing and copyright restrictions that apply to these broadcasters. Each broadcaster, from ESPN to Sky Sports, and even DAZN needs to pay millions of dollars to secure the streaming rights to the sport that they want to broadcast to their customers. Once they have secured the rights to the sports stream, they need to abide by strict rules and regulations that are set out by the sporting body or organization — such as FIFA for soccer for example.
One of these rules will set parameters for where they are allowed to stream their content. For example, Sky Sports can only stream its content within the UK’s borders. This is done to prevent one large broadcasting company like ESPN from establishing a monopoly over streaming rights. Ultimately, the goal is for the sporting organization to generate more money from selling broadcasting rights to tons of different broadcasters rather than just one large broadcaster.
The broadcasters also need to make their money back, so they charge hefty subscription fees to the customers that sign up to use their service. Unfortunately, though, you will run into geo-blocking restrictions even if you’re a paying subscriber accessing the streaming service from a different country. However, there is a way to get around these digital walls — we’re going to look into it shortly.
Free Sports Streaming
There is another way that you can access sports streams from anywhere in the world — the best part is that these sports streams are free too. There are plenty of free sports streaming websites all over the internet. 123Sport and Crickfree are just two examples of thousands of different websites.
The only problem with these websites is that they don’t host live streams on their website. Instead, the user is directed to another website that hosts the live stream. This means that you can never be too sure of who is behind the live stream — it could be from an unlicensed or illegal source.
There is also a chance that it could be hosted by a cunning cybercriminal that is trying to breach your devices to steal your personal information or install malicious software such as viruses on your device. That’s why you need to make sure that your device is always safe and secure when you visit one of these websites — let’s take a closer look at the ultimate sports live streaming tool!
Why You Need a VPN
The handy cybersecurity tool that we keep talking about is a virtual private network, also known as a VPN for short. VPNs are used to encrypt your internet connection, allowing you to browse the internet securely and anonymously. With a VPN protecting your device, no one can see what you’re doing online. There will be no record of your browsing history, and not even your internet service provider, cybercriminals, or the government can monitor your internet traffic. It’s the best cybersecurity tool for privacy and security online — that’s why you need to make sure to protect your device using one of these tools before you head over to a free sports live-streaming website.
If you’re using a VPN, you can also direct your internet traffic through a secure global server that is situated in a different country or city around the world. Doing so will mask your IP address — which is the unique identifier that websites use to pinpoint your device’s location. In other words, you will be hiding your device’s location. Instead, your device will adopt the IP address of the server that you have connected to. For example, if you’re traveling in South Africa, you can connect to a server in the UK to spoof your location and make websites think that you’re accessing them from the UK instead — this will give you access to the Sky Sports stream.
You need to make sure that you’re using the best VPNs for sports streams or else you might struggle to access the streaming service. It’s important to use premium VPNs to bypass geo-blocking restrictions to live-stream sports. There are plenty of free VPNs on offer, but unfortunately, they have severe drawbacks that will affect your streaming potential. For example, you’ll need to deal with slower connection speeds, poor encryption security, and a smaller selection of global servers to choose from.
