If you’ve traveled outside the U.S. recently, you may have noticed that streaming sports and entertainment is different around the world is different. Some services like Netflix offer different catalogs in different countries and many sports options are different even depending on the city where you’re watching.
But you don’t have to travel to see those differences if you use a Virtual Private Network or VPN. In addition to providing security and anonymity to users via an extra layer of encryption, it routs traffic through another state or country of your choosing, essentially taking you on a virtual journey to experience the internet from anywhere. VPNs are legal in the U.S., Canada and most countries with free and open Internet, but outlawed in nations like Russia, China and North Korea.
For sports fans, VPNs have become a key way to avoid blackout areas or to watch sports that aren’t broadcast in the U.S. For example, in the UK, BBC iPlayer and the ITV player will be streaming this year’s World Cup, while in the U.S., only subscribers to Hulu + Live TV, Sling or DirecTV will have access. That’s why fans of international soccer or global sports like cricket and rugby have been early adopters of using VPNs.
This article is sponsored by Private Internet Access, and Paste has partnered with PIA to offer you a VPN at an 82% discount plus four months free—that’s $2.03 per month for the 2-year plan.