Liverpool FC Forum

[maguskwt]

Hi guys. I was thinking about some alternative ways to watch EPL and chanced upon this blog post. I currently subscribe to the local cable tv service provider which broadcasts all EPL matches in HD, very sharp and in very good quality. However, I feel like I'm paying a fortune for it; in order to get the EPL package, I have to subscribe to the basic tv and broadband service which costs like 60 bucks and then add on the EPL package which is another 60 bucks. So I'm paying 120 freakin bucks a month, or almost 1500 per year! When I'm overseas due to a business trip, I would stream from sites like wiziwig. But I found that the streams are quite bad in quality, you couldn't differentiate the players and sometimes it would freeze up during the most opportune moments.

Anyway I was thinking whether anyone on her have tried one of these services in this blogpost. I do have a vpn service or two that I am already subscribing so I would think I have the region lock park covered. So the purpose of this post is twofold, 1. to let everyone interested know about these services and 2. to get some feedback if someone has tried it. I haven't tried it myself.

https://smartdns.com/blog/1312/watch-li ... /#chapter3

I have copied and pasted the text here as well (taking out the list of VPN services cause it's too long) in case the page went offline. It appears to be a good post for those who are interested so there is something to be referred to on this forum for those who are interested.

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9 Ways to Watch the Premier League Online

Premier League Guide Banner



Watching the Premier League at home with a few friends is fantastic.

But what if you’ve cut the cord on your cable subscription in favor of online streaming?

Well in this guide I’m going to show you how to watch ALL the games, live, online and in glorious HD.

Watch the Premier League Online

Click on a chapter to jump straight there.

The Issues at Play
How to Watch for Free with a National Broadcaster
Want HD Streams, Apps, and More? Get a Subscription!
How to Get Around those Pesky Region Locks
Missed the Games? Get Extended Highlights with Match of the Day
Summary and Reviews

Chapter 1: The Issues at Play

The Premier League is one of the most watched sporting competitions in the world, broadcast live in 220 countries with a global audience of 4.7bn people, with just 16% actually in the UK.

So 84% of Premier League viewers watch from abroad!

So what’s stopping you? Region Locks!

If you’re sick of seeing this:

Geo-block

You’ve found the guide you need.

Region-locks (or geo-restrictions) exist so that content producers can sell the same shows to many broadcasters in different countries.

We started SmartDNS.com because we believe everyone should have access to the same online content regardless of where you live.

More about the licencing issue:

Premier League Broadcasting rights sell for a record £5.14bn
Who controls the Premier League
Premier League gains blocking order on illegal streams
Why 3 pm Saturday games are not televised
Premier League TV Rights
Upcoming matches on UK TV
How IMG Spreads Premier League’s Global Brand
Ofcom Probe could lead to more live Premier League matches on TV.

Chapter 2: How to Watch Football for Free with a National Broadcaster

Most countries have a television broadcaster that cover the premier league for free.  Some of these also have a free streaming service for people within the country.

I’ve come across a lot of conflicting information with regards to which broadcasters will offer free streaming online of the premier league. I will be updating this post as soon as I have tested the various providers for live streams during the first games of the 2015/16 Premier League season, so be sure to check back soon for more info.

List of Premier League Broadcasters

Chapter 3: Want an HD Stream, Apps, and More? Get a Subscription!

Let’s take a look at which websites are licensed to stream the Premier league online. Subscriptions services like these usually require you to be in the country where the website is based, due to geo-restrictions.

In Chapter 4 we’re going to look at how to have a look at how to access geo-restricted streams regardless of your actual location, and link you up to the providers so you can check which channels they offer.

NowTV Sky Sports Pass – UK

Sky Sports offer probably the most comprehensive coverage of English football. Through NowTV, Sky Sports are offering weekly and monthly passes to their streaming services. All the games are shown in HD and there are loads of on-demand extras.

A NowTV Sky Sports Pass costs £31.99 (US$49.90) per month, so it’s definitely not the cheapest and is region locked to the UK.

Premier League Pass – New Zealand

Premier League Pass is a New Zealand based streaming channel that costs AUS$199 (US$133) for the whole season of the Barclays Premier League.

In addition to streaming on your browser, PLP has apps for iOS, Android and Samsung Smart TVs so you can watch the games live when you’re not at home.

Star Sports – India

Star Sports is an India based streaming sports channel that offers coverage of all major sports events.

The website states that the Premier League will be streamed live. However there are some issues with the site that stopped me being able to confirm this.

The channel is supported by Unblock Us, UnoTelly and Unlocator.

Fox Sports – Australia

Fox Sports has the broadcasting rights for Australia and will stream the Premier League online. It’s region locked to Australia so check out chapter 4 to find out how to access Fox Sports from anywhere.

It’s one of the cheaper subscription options, at AUD$10 (US$7.40)/ month for the first 3 months, then AUD$20 (US$14.80)/ month after that and can be cancelled at any time.

TV3 Sport – Denmark

Viaplay offers live Premier League streaming online, as well as a number of other sporting events for 229DKR (US$35)/ Month.

Other Streaming Channels

Whilst the above channels can be accessed by simply changing your apparent location using a Smart DNS service, below are channels that can only be accessed if you have a TV subscription in the respective country, or have a friend or relative in the country who is willing to share their customer details with you.

Canada: Sportsnet Now
USA: NBC Sports Live Extra
Middle East: beIN Sports
South Africa: Super Sport

Chapter 4: How to Get Past those Pesky Geo-Restrictions

So now you know what’s available, let’s see if we can’t unblock those games!

There are 2 main ways to unblock content:

VPN
SmartDNS
A VPN allows you to access geo-restricted content by routing all your internet traffic through a server in the country you choose.  A SmartDNS, on the other hand, simply changes the geographic data requested by the website you’re visiting.  Take a look at these links for more info:

SmartDNS vs VPN
What’s the difference between a VPN and a SmartDNS Router Setup?
Quora discussion
We’re going to suggest going with a VPN primarily, as they are more flexible and reliable recently with many providers blocking SmartDNS providers.

Below are the best VPN and Smart DNS providers, make sure they are supporting the particular station you want to stream from by checking their channel lists. If Smart DNS is an unfamiliar concept to you, head over to our Ultimate Guide to find out more.

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Chapter 5: Missed the Games? Get Extended Highlights with Match of the Day

Match of The Day
Watch Match of the Day on BBC iPlayer
One of the UK’s most beloved sports shows, Match of the Day airs every Saturday evening (10:30 GMT) on BBC During the Premier League season. The show has been running since 1964 and is recognised by Guinness World Records as the longest running football TV programme in the world.


Match of the Day has one of the most recognizable theme tunes in the UK

Match of the day shows highlights of Saturday’s Premier League matches, along with analysis and discussion from some of the best-known names in English football.

BBC One is available in the UK on terrestrial TV and online via BBC iPlayer. For those who wish to access BBC iPlayer from a different country, a SmartDNS service will bypass the geo-restriction.

BBC iPlayer Website
Check out these posts for more information on streaming BBC iPlayer from abroad:

How to Watch BBC Abroad
5 Best SmartDNS providers for BBC iPlayer

Chapter 6: Summary and reviews

So in essence, there are a number of different options for watching the Barclays Premier League online, both live and highlights. We recommend a SmartDNS service as they are both cheaper and faster than a VPN.

All the Smart DNS providers we’ve mentioned offer a free trial of some kind, so you should have plenty of time to get to know the service before committing. Take a look below for reviews of the Smart DNS providers we recommend and start watching those Premier League games live!:

Rank Provider Starting price Review Link
1

ExpressVPN Logo
READ REVIEW > $8.32/mo Visit Site >
2

NordVPN Logo
READ REVIEW $5.75/mo Visit Site
3

Blockless Logo
READ REVIEW $4.95/mo Visit Site
4

Unlocator Logo
READ REVIEW $4.95/mo Visit Site
5

HideIPVPN Logo
READ REVIEW $4.95/mo Visit Site
Keep checking back for updates throughout the season, and be sure to let us know if you’ve found any quality resources not mentioned here.

If you liked this article, we’d appreciate you helping to spread the word with a like or share.

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Edit: I have to add that in all fairness my expensive cable subscription includes Bundesliga and Serie A games but I have no time to watch different leagues and there is also no option to remove them. The service provider seem to be saying take this package or leave it.

[Reg]

Good post mags, i can't afford the $1,500 so I have to go to the pub to watch the game which costs even more!

I'm not a techie mate so can't offer any sensible advice, sorry.

Please someone guide us! 

[maguskwt]

Good post mags, i can't afford the $1,500 so I have to go to the pub to watch the game which costs even more!

I'm not a techie mate so can't offer any sensible advice, sorry.

Please someone guide us! 

yes mate... that's what I found out during the world cup matches, so as much as it pains me to pay that much subscription, I had to stop grumbling and pay up to sign up. Now I've become a family man, so trying to see where I can cut my expenses...

[maguskwt]

No input? Opinions?

[7_Kewell]

Not tried it myself, would be interested hear if it's worthwhile though.

[laza]

Mags
In regards to Oz , that sadly is now out of date. Foxtel lost the rights to Optus a telephone company which used it as part of their package.
It hasn't gone down to well as prices were a real rip off.
The local free to air ethnic TV channel gets to broadcast one live game on Saturday nights though.

Foxtel just has different club TV channels now such as LFC TV so you have to wait and watch the game the next day.
Which can be quite handy when you get a result like last work against Bournemouth.
So  you avoid  watching the game and thus don't end up destroying your television set

[maguskwt]

Mags
In regards to Oz , that sadly is now out of date. Foxtel lost the rights to Optus a telephone company which used it as part of their package.
It hasn't gone down to well as prices were a real rip off.
The local free to air ethnic TV channel gets to broadcast one live game on Saturday nights though.

Foxtel just has different club TV channels now such as LFC TV so you have to wait and watch the game the next day.
Which can be quite handy when you get a result like last work against Bournemouth.
So  you avoid  watching the game and thus don't end up destroying your television set

Thanks for that info laza... I'm really not a fan of watching a match 'non-live'. The is just something special about watching sporting events and other events 'live'.