There is no better location to view Game of Thrones, Last Week Tonight, or The Night Of than HBO Now. HBO Now is HBO’s independent streaming video service. HBO Now is available for $15 per month for up to three concurrent connections. This is more than the cost of a typical Netflix membership. Additionally, it is accessible solely in the United States.
While you may be tempted to Google for some unofficial streaming, HBO is perhaps the most diligent network in America regarding cleaning the web of illicit duplication. You’re likely to see a message at the bottom of the search results saying that some links have been deleted in accordance with the United States’ Digital Millennium Copyright Act. HBO has effectively compelled Google to delete links from search results. HBO also pursues websites that host unlicensed content, compelling them to cease streaming or risk legal action.
HBO is highly adept at safeguarding its intellectual property, to the point that the only unofficial streaming remaining are on extremely shady websites. These websites often include tracking cookies, ads, and viruses that are dangerous.
So, if you don’t reside in the United States, how can you obtain HBO Now? You just need a VPN, or virtual private network, to stream HBO Now from outside the United States. A VPN encrypts and sends all of your internet traffic via a server in the location of your choice. If you are in the United Kingdom, for example, just connect to a server in the United States, and the HBO Now website will believe you are in the United States.
There are several VPN services available on the internet, but we suggest paying for one to ensure you have the performance necessary to watch programs in high quality. Additionally, paid VPNs provide superior customer support in the event that anything goes wrong.
The best VPN for watching HBO Now from outside the United States
Based on the following criteria, we’ve suggested the best VPN for HBO Now:
- Servers located in the United States of America.
- Rapid, dependable performance.
- Customer service that is prompt and competent.
HBO Now is distinct from HBO Go. HBO Go requires a cable subscription that includes a premium channel, while HBO Now is available only online. If you have an HBO Go membership and are traveling outside the United States, this VPN should function as well.
NordVPN
Simply hover your cursor over a server in the NordVPN app to discover which streaming channels are accessible. This highly handy feature, paired with many servers, reliable speeds, and 24/7 live chat assistance, makes it an excellent choice for HBO Now and HBO Go subscribers.
VPNs to avoid if you’re going to watch HBO Go
HideMyAss
We’ve seen HideMyAss suggested on other sites for HBO Now, so let’s put this one to bed. HideMyAss should not be utilized for any purpose. The UK-based company maintains records of user activity, which has already resulted in the arrest of some of its users. If you value your privacy, avoid HMA at all costs.
Hola
Hola is not a standard VPN in the sense that it does not run its own servers. Rather than that, it joins its users to a botnet, converting each device on the network into a server for another. This has raised severe privacy issues, and in one instance, Hola utilized machines on its network to perform a distributed denial-of-service assault against a website. In any event, it’s unlikely to be quick enough to watch HBO Now at a reasonably high resolution.
HBO has threatened to revoke proxy users’ accounts.
HBO began threatening VPN users with account cancelations last year. Users were notified via email that HBO Now is only available in the United States and that their membership would be terminated if they did not contact HBO and explain their situation.
HBO Individuals who face this issue on Reddit report that these proxy purges occur once every several months. If you get such a letter, you must supply a legitimate United States of America address and phone number to avoid your account being deleted. The following are firsthand testimonies from Reddit users HurleyBunt and clackstonbiaar:
I’ve been a subscriber since it was launched back in April, and got one of these emails back in May. I called the number, said I was travelling and accidentally loaded the app. I provided them with a valid U.S. address and presto, my account was not disabled.
I got this and called them from a US number, gave them a US number (Google Voice) and the US address of my friend there and they accepted it. Seems like they are doing this in rounds, maybe another 6 months or so and they’ll do it again.
While we did not come across this difficulty during our testing, we believe you should be able to supply the location and phone number of a small company in the United States. Such information is available on Google Maps.
HBO Now is available outside the United States through Roku, Chromecast, and Fire TV.
While applications from the aforementioned VPN provider should operate correctly when accessed through a web browser such as Google Chrome or Firefox, you may have difficulty using the HBO Now app on a smart TV, set-top video streaming box, or mobile device running Android or iOS. This is because HBO Now could compel the app to use a different DNS server than the VPN, revealing the device’s real location.
To circumvent this, watch via a browser rather than the app if possible. Since Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, and other set-top boxes lack online browsers, you must configure the VPN on a router. You may either setup your home wifi network or a virtual router on your laptop to do this. We have guides for configuring a VPN on a virtual WiFi router for MacOS and Windows.