Danica Djokic
Updated on: December 25, 2023
Only 3 Steps (Quick + Easy) to Watch Sky Sports Online With a VPN in 2024:
- Step 1: Download and install a good streaming VPN. I recommend ExpressVPN as it always works with Sky Sports, offers blazing-fast speeds, and has easy-to-use apps for all major platforms.
- Step 2: Connect to a VPN server. Open the VPN app and choose a nearby server to connect to for the fastest possible speeds. If Sky Sports isn’t available where you are, you can hypothetically use a VPN to watch it. But please keep in mind that this would violate Sky Sports’s Terms of Service and may constitute copyright infringement.
- Step 3: Log into your Sky Sports account. Find the match and get ready to root for your favorite team.
The popular sports streaming service Sky Sports is only available in the UK and Ireland. This is because it has licensing agreements that don’t allow it to show the content available on the site outside of these regions. To determine whether you can watch Sky Sports, the platform looks at your IP address, which reveals your general location.
A VPN can change your IP address to one in the UK or Ireland. Therefore, hypothetically, it’s possible to use a VPN to watch Sky Sports from a place where it’s not available — but that’s against Sky Sports’s Terms of Service and might even be considered copyright infringement (which no one at SafetyDetectives condones).
My colleagues and I tested dozens of VPNs to find the best ones for Sky Sports. The best is ExpressVPN, as it works with the platform 100% of the time and has super-fast speeds for streaming.
Best VPNs for Watching Sky Sports Content in 2024
- 🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best overall VPN for watching Sky Sports in 2024.
- 🥈2. Private Internet Access — Great for watching Sky Sports on mobile devices.
- 🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Has optimized streaming server for Sky Sports.
- Comparison of the Best VPNs For Watching Sky Sports in 2024.
At SafetyDetectives, we don’t condone copyright infringement. The VPNs I recommend don’t log any of your activities on Sky Sports since they all follow strict no-logs policies. This means it’s up to you yo use the VPN responsibly, so we urge you to follow all rules and regulations.
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best VPN for Watching Sky Sports in 2024
ExpressVPN is my top pick for watching Sky Sports — my colleagues in the UK and Ireland tested it and confirmed it always works with the platform from all of its UK servers, which are located in London, Docklands, East London, Midlands, and Wembley, as well as from its servers in Ireland.
Plus, ExpressVPN makes it super easy to find and connect to any server. The server locations are sorted by region, so you can quickly find the servers in the UK and Ireland (under Europe) without having to scroll through the entire list. And one of the best features is the Shortcuts, which lets you create 1-click shortcuts to any apps on your phone, so you can configure it to show the Sky Sports app as soon as you connect to a server.
ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN I have tested so far — in my tests, HD and 4K videos loaded instantly, and I didn’t experience any buffering. I also asked my colleague in the UK to test ExpressVPN’s speeds with Sky Sports, and he told me that he didn’t have to wait for any of the channels to load or buffer.
I also really like that ExpressVPN has a smart DNS, which is called MediaStreamer. This allows you to watch Sky Sports on devices that don’t support VPN apps, like certain smart TVs or gaming consoles. Setting up the smart DNS is really simple as well — it only took me a few minutes to complete the process by following the provider’s detailed and easy-to-follow setup guides.
And the provider’s split-tunneling tool is quite handy — you can choose which apps use the VPN and which apps use your local network. This way, you can watch Sky Sports via the VPN without having to turn off the VPN every time you need to use an app that requires your geo-location (like Google Maps) or an app that blocks VPNs, like your banking app.
The VPN also has advanced security features that protect your Sky Sports traffic. It comes with full leak protection so your real IP address (and location) is never exposed. Plus, ExpressVPN uses RAM-only servers (wipe all data after each reboot) and perfect forward secrecy, which changes the encryption key for each VPN session.
ExpressVPN’s plans start at $6.67 / month, and every plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read our full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. Private Internet Access — User-Friendly Mobile Apps For Watching Sky Sports
Private Internet Access (PIA) has intuitive Android and iOS apps for streaming Sky Sports on the go. My colleague in the UK tested it with all 3 UK server locations (Manchester, London, and Southampton) and said the VPN always worked with Sky Go. I like how the app makes it easy to find these servers and connect to them and that it lists the 6 previous servers you connected to, so you can click on one of them for an instant connection.
I also think it’s great that PIA’s mobile apps are highly customizable, which is great for more advanced users. You can automate your connections, choose between different encryption levels and protocols, and you can even initiate VPN connections with Siri on iOS. Whenever I stream videos, I prefer to use 128-bit AES encryption (instead of 256-bit) because I get faster speeds.
On top of that, PIA lets you connect as many devices as you want, which is great for large families — for example, you can use PIA to watch Sky Sports during a long train ride while your partner and kids use the VPN to securely watch cartoons or play online mobile games.
PIA also has really great speeds. Although it doesn’t outpace ExpressVPN, I could still stream HD videos without any buffering or lag, and it only took 2–3 seconds for 4K videos to load, which is really fast.
I’m a big fan of the provider’s split-tunneling feature. In addition to apps, it also allows you to split-tunnel websites — instead of split-tunneling the entire browser, you can configure it to route only the Sky Sports site through the VPN, which is more convenient.
The provider is also very secure. It uses perfect forward secrecy and RAM-only servers and comes with full leak protection. It’s great that all of its apps are open-source, which means anyone can inspect the code for vulnerabilities.
Private Internet Access has budget-friendly prices that cost as low as $2.11 / month. It backs each purchase with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read our full Private Internet Access review
🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Great for Watching Sky Sports on UK Dedicated Streaming Server
CyberGhost VPN includes a streaming-optimized server for Sky Go. This means the server provides great speeds for streaming and is tested frequently to ensure that it always works with the streaming platform. My colleague in the UK tested this server at different times of the day and reported zero issues watching Sky Sports content while connected to the VPN.
CyberGhost also has regular servers in the UK, including in Berkshire, London, and Manchester, and 1 server location in Ireland. Although these aren’t optimized to work with Sky Sports or Sky Go, my colleagues in the UK and Ireland were consistently able to watch content on the streaming service’s apps.
CyberGhost offers fast speeds for streaming, though it’s not as fast as ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access. When I ran speed tests, HD videos didn’t take more than 1 second to load, 4K videos took only about 3–4 seconds to start playing (and there was only minimal buffering at the start).
What I really like about CyberGhost is its automation tool called Smart Rules. This feature lets you personalize your VPN connections — for example, you can configure it to automatically connect you to any of its servers on launch, including its Sky Go server, and you can even set it up to launch the Sky Go app after it connects to the Sky Go server.
One of the few complaints I have about CyberGhost is its split-tunneling feature. While it works as intended, the tool is only available on Android — ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access both support split-tunneling on Android, Windows, and Mac.
CyberGhost VPN offers affordable plans ($2.03 / month), and its long-term plans come with a generous 45-day money-back guarantee — the shortest plan offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Read our full CyberGhost VPN review
Comparison of the Best VPNs for Watching Sky Sports in 2024
How to Choose the Best VPN for Watching Sky Sports in 2024
- Look for servers in the UK or Ireland. Sky Sports is only available in the UK and Ireland, so you should make sure the VPN you pick has servers there. Every VPN on my list has at least 1 server in the UK and Ireland.
- Pick a VPN that works with Sky Sports 100% of the time. ExpressVPN has several UK server locations that work consistently with Sky Sports.
- Test for fast speeds. Every VPN will slow down your connection because of the encryption process, but the top VPNs minimize latency and offer excellent speeds for uninterrupted streaming. In my tests, ExpressVPN was the fastest.
- Pick a user-friendly VPN. All VPNs on my list have intuitive apps that are easy to navigate, even for someone that’s never used a VPN before.
- Look for great multi-platform support. A good VPN should support all major OSs, including Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. The VPNs on my list all have apps for those platforms and also come with a smart DNS that lets you use a VPN on devices that don’t natively support VPNs.
- Consider security and privacy features. All the VPNs on my list have military-grade 256-bit AES encryption, a no-logs policy, a kill switch that cuts off the internet connection if the VPN disconnects unexpectedly, and DNS leak protection.
- Get a VPN that provides good value. Each VPN I recommend has affordable plans backed by a generous money-back guarantee. Also, all of them offer multiple simultaneous connections and extra features like split-tunneling.
How to Watch Sky Sports Content on Any Device
How to Watch Sky Sports Content on Your PC or Mac Device
- Get a good VPN that consistently works with Sky Sports. My top pick is ExpressVPN as it has intuitive Windows and MacOS apps, works with Sky Sports 100% of the time, and offers the fastest speeds on the market.
- Download and install the VPN. Follow the instructions in the installation wizard. It shouldn’t take more than 1–2 minutes to set it up.
- Connect to a server in the UK or Ireland. If you’re currently in a location where Sky Sports is not available, you could hypothetically use a VPN to watch it. But bear in mind this goes against the site’s Terms of Service and can be seen as copyright infringement.
- Log into your Sky Sports account. You can now watch Sky Sports securely with a VPN.
How to Watch Sky Sports Content on Your Smartphone or Tablet
- Pick a VPN with excellent streaming support. ExpressVPN has great iOS and Android apps, multiple server locations in the UK that always work with Sky Sports, and very fast speeds for buffer-free streaming.
- Install the VPN app on your mobile device. Download the app from the Google Play Store or the App Store and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Connect to a server in the UK or Ireland. A VPN can, in theory, help you stream Sky Go content from a different location, but that can constitute copyright infringement and is against the site’s Terms of Service.
- Log into your Sky Sports account. Find what you want to watch and enjoy.
How to Watch Sky Sports Content on Your Smart TV
- Choose a VPN that works with Sky Sports. I recommend ExpressVPN as it always works with Sky Sports, has an excellent Android TV app, and also has a dedicated router app and a smart DNS.
- On Android TVs: Download the VPN from the Google Play Store, log in, and connect to a server in the UK or Ireland. If Sky Sports isn’t available in your current location, a VPN can theoretically help you watch it. However, it’s important to note that this is against the platform’s Terms of Service and can be regarded as a copyright infringement.
- On non-Android TVs: Configure the VPN on your router. Alternatively, you can use your VPN’s smart DNS tool.
- Connect to a server in the UK or Ireland. Log into your Sky Sports account and start watching.
How to Watch Sky Sports Content on Amazon Fire Stick
- Get a VPN with a good Fire Stick app. My top pick is ExpressVPN because it has the best Fire Stick app out there and it’s the fastest service on the market.
- Download and install the VPN app on your Fire Stick. Just follow the on-screen instructions. It won’t take more than 1–2 minutes to set it up.
- Connect to a server in the UK or Ireland. A VPN can, in theory, help you watch Sky Sports if it’s not available in your location. But please remember this is against the site’s Terms of Service and may constitute copyright infringement.
- Launch Sky Sports. Log into your Sky Sports account and find your favorite content.
How to Watch Sky Sports Content on Your Gaming Console
- Get a VPN that works with routers. ExpressVPN is the best choice as it’s one of the only ones that has a dedicated router app. Plus, its router app is very easy to use.
- Configure the VPN on your router. Now, your gaming console will be able to use the VPN connection.
- Open Sky Sports on your gaming console. Log into your account, and start streaming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch Sky Sports?
Sky Sports is only available in the UK and Ireland. This is because the streaming platform has licensing agreements that prevents it from streaming content for viewers outside of these 2 countries. To securely stream Sky Sports, I recommend getting a good VPN that works with the platform — the best out there is ExpressVPN as it always works with Sky Sports and has super-fast speeds.
What is the best VPN for watching Sky Sports?
I recommend ExpressVPN. It always works with Sky Sports, has several locations in the UK (so it’s easy to find a nearby server for the best possible speeds), and it’s really fast.
Is Sky Sports free to stream?
No, Sky Sports is a subscription-based service. If you’re in the UK or Ireland, you can purchase a Sky Sports subscription directly or buy it as part of a Sky bundle. You can use a good Sky Sports VPN to securely stream content on the platform or get the fastest speeds possible if your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is throttling your speeds.
Does Sky Sports block VPNs?
Sky Sports is one of the many services that block VPN connections. Although it’s not illegal to use a VPN with Sky Sports, the service will stop you from watching its content if it detects that you’re using a VPN. This is because Sky Sports has licensing agreements it needs to adhere to that don’t allow it to stream its content outside of the UK and Ireland.
Although not many VPNs work with Sky Sports, there are some that do. I think the best one is ExpressVPN — my UK-based colleague tested it multiple times throughout the day, and it worked every single time
