Last Updated on December 15, 2023
Can I Watch Canadian TV in the US?
Updated content in 2023, although Nord VPN bypasses all the country blocks on most Canadian TV sites – there is sometimes an issue! Some of the media sites now request a Cable ID/subscription number too before you can view. If you don’t have one of these then using a VPN like NordVPN won’t help. Only seems to be Canadian TV sites which are doing this, but you should check if you need a specific Canadian TV channel.
There’s no doubt that if you know where to look there’s some great TV shows available online completely free of charge. However, there’s one significant barrier in many cases and that’s your location. For example, if I want to watch some of the Canadian TV channels online then all of the main broadcasters have streaming services available. Unfortunately, those will only work if you’re located in Canada, try and watch Canadian TV from even across the border in the US and you’ll get blocked with a message like this.
When you try and access CTV in this instance, the web site determines you location when you initially connect. If it detects that your location is not in Canada, then you’ll get blocked like this example. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the United States, Brazil or Europe – you can’t watch Canadian TV abroad using the internet. Even if you’re a Canadian travelling, you’ll get the same restrictions as they’re based entirely on your physical location.
The technology used is called Geo-Targeting and is widely used especially by online media and TV stations. It’s basically involves looking up your IP address when you visit a site, determining its location and then deciding whether to block, filter or reroute your connection. So here anyone who tries to watch Canadian TV will be blocked completely if they’re outside the Canadian borders. All the US stations do the same, but here they check for a United States IP address, or you’ll be blocked in exactly the same way.
Fortunately, there is a way of ignoring this restrictive technology and ensuring you’re not subject to these blocks and filters.
So, How to Watch Canadian TV in USA?
Let’s take the example of CTV which is one of the bigger Canadian TV channels especially when you consider their online streaming services. Just watch this video which demonstrates firstly what happens when you try and watch Canadian TV from outside Canada. Then we’ll see what happens when we change our IP address and try and access the same TV shows.
You Can Check out the Discounts on this VPN Service Here
It’s surprisingly easy to be able to get access to CTV and other Canadian TV channels by using something called a VPN service. This stands for Virtual Private Network and as you can see is much easier to use than it sounds. By making a connection to a VPN server based in Canada, you can watch Canadian TV from the US and anywhere in the world. CTV will not work out where you are as it determines your location from the IP address of the VPN server not your real one.
So, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the middle of Asia or in the United States, as long as your VPN server is in Canada then you’ll be able to access without a problem. You won’t actually have a Canadian IP address, but your VPN server will be the one that is controlling the connection. So, you can watch CBC without any issues at all while you remain connected.
Choose the Right VPN to Watch Canadian TV
The situation changes all the time and it’s vital you check before you commit to a long subscription for any service.
Here’s some things to remember before you get that VPN –
- Check the TV channel is actually available online – many channels are only open to subscribers, so you may need a subscription as well as a Canadian VPN connection.
- Check your VPN has Canadian Servers – you won’t be able to watch Canadian restricted servers through any other country.
- Make sure your VPN isn’t blocked by the TV stations you want – many Canadian TV channels block access to VPN connections. Make sure yours isn’t one of them – check with provider or ensure they have a money back guarantee.trial period.
How Can I Watch Global TV in USA
Investing in a VPN service however brings even better benefits if you choose the right service. If you pick a decent VPN service, then usually the subscription includes servers from all over the planet. So, you don’t need to suffer these blocks from anywhere, and you can access all sorts of streaming services irrespective of your location. You can explore outside Canada TV and check out the other TV abroad in places like Australia and the United Kingdom.
My favorite website bar none, is called BBC iPlayer which has twelve live channels and a huge archive of TV programs you can watch anytime. It’s normally restricted to people physically located in the United Kingdom, but you can bypass these blocks in exactly the same way as Canadian TV. Simply click on a UK server and you can be enjoying the BBC from the United States or wherever you happen to be too.
There are lots more TV channels in the UK you can access – check out ITV, Channels 4 and 5 which have loads of quality English language content too. If you’re lucky enough to speak a different language, then it’s worth investigating other country’s TV broadcasters too. There’s a great French TV station called M6 Replay and most of the European TV companies broadcast online too.
In fact, many countries often broadcast in English irrespective of their location too. There’s a TV station in India called Star TV which used to transmit all its sports coverage in English too. You could watch the football (UK soccer) or cricket without charge whereas it usually needed a subscription in other countries. This might have changed though as licensing arrangements particularly for sport tend to be renegotiated every year or two,
This is what a VPN can do for you, completely open up the internet and bypass all these blocks which are becoming increasingly common.
How Can I Get American Netflix in Canada or While Travelling
So hopefullly we’ve answered the question – can I watch Canadian tv in the US? Yet that’s not all, there’s more you can do. Using a VPN like NordVPN doesn’t just bypass the geo-blocks it also can change the manipulation of your connection too. For example, the US version of Netflix has loaded more content available than many other locations. However, you have to be physically located in the US to access this larger catalogue. It’s particularly annoying for US citizens who travel abroad and suddenly find their favorite TV shows disappear as they get a different version. Also, for Canadian citizens who pay the same for their Netflix subscription and see that they’d get much more if they were located across the border. can i watch canadian tv in the us
Using a VPN, you can change the version of Netflix you get also. Simply connect to a US server and you’ll be able to hide your real location and watch US Netflix instead. It should be said that Netflix do attempt to block a lot of these VPN connections so this method may not be a reliable as accessing other streaming sites. You should be able to access the USA version of Netflix if you’re using one of the premier VPN companies though. Check first though as most don’t support to Netflix as it can take some resources to maintain.
Whatever channels you’re looking for online, if you’re not in the same country then a VPN is going to be essential. Whether you want to stream Canadian channels to the US, download documentaries from the BBC iPlayer in Canada or watch the latest blockbusters from Hulu or HBO then a VPN service will save you a lot of air miles! It’s a wise investment and when you start to use a VPN protected connection, you’ll really appreciate the benefits. Even YouTube has got more and more regionalized content now, which is basically locked unless you’re in a specific region. Again, clicking on a new country will allow you to access this content easily and anonymously.
