How to Watch CTV Outside Canada With No Effort
CTV is a great platform for anyone looking to enjoy tons of new, varied content. Unfortunately, you won’t really be able to access CTV outside of Canada since its content doesn’t work abroad.
No need to worry, though, since we’ll show you how to watch CTV outside Canada with this 5-minute article.
Is CTV Not Available Outside of Canada?
As it stands, no - CTV only seems to be available to online users in Canada. If you try to sign up or watch an online video outside the country, you’ll normally get a message saying you can’t do that in your area.
There does seem to be an exception, though. CTV is apparently available throughout the Northern US, but only if you get it through cable or antenna. So, no cord-cutting options are available to you in that case - not to mention you need to go through some extra hassle to get access to it.
How does CTV manage to restrict access to its content? It’s simple - they use geo-blocks.
What Are Geo-Blocks & Why Does CTV Use Them?
Geo-blocks (or geo-restrictions) are a form of content control technology that providers like CTV use to make sure only users from “approved” geographical areas can access and use their platform(s).
Basically, geo-blocks allow CTV’s website to restrict your access based on your geo-location - information that the website acquires from your real IP address.
CTV normally uses geo-restrictions because of the following reasons:
- The platform doesn’t own the rights to all the content it broadcasts, so CTV can’t decide on its own to make all of their shows and movies available worldwide.
- CTV and its owner, Bell Media, don’t want to purchase licensing rights in every single country in the world to make their content available worldwide, as that could potentially be very expensive for them.
While those are some pretty decent arguments, though, it still doesn’t mean it’s fair that you can’t watch your favorite shows on CTV simply because you’re from a different country. Not to mention that the same restrictions apply to you if you live in Canada but travel or work abroad as well.
Here’s How to Watch CTV Outside Canada
Don’t worry - you don’t need to do any complicated stuff to bypass CTV’s annoying geo-blocks. You just need to use a VPN or Smart DNS service to hide your geo-location and trick CTV into thinking you’re from Canada.
Please keep in mind that some shows and movies on CTV might require you to sign in using your Canadian cable subscription service. Using a VPN or a Smart DNS won’t help you bypass that obstacle.
With that out of the way, let’s see how both services can help you:
1. Using a Smart DNS Service
A Smart DNS is an online service that will hide your ISP-assigned DNS address (which can reveal your geo-location), and intercept your connection requests to CTV’s website, replacing any data within them that can leak your geo-location with new information that points to a location in Canada.
2. Using a VPN Service
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is an online service that hides your real IP address in order to help you bypass geo-restrictions. All you need to do is start up the VPN, and connect to a Canadian-based VPN server.
Once that’s done, your IP address will be replaced with the address of said server. So, when you access CTV’s website, it will think you’re located in Canada.
Which Is the Best Option to Enjoy CTV Outside of Canada?
It all depends on your preferences to be honest. If you value high connection speeds, a Smart DNS is better suited to your needs because it doesn’t use any encryption. So, there’s nothing that can interfere with your streaming and connection speeds.
On the other hand, if you don’t mind a potential drop in online speeds, and want to also protect your Internet privacy and bypass firewalls while getting around geo-restrictions, a VPN would be a better option because its encryption secures your connections.
For the best results, it’s recommended to pick a provider that offers access to both VPN and Smart DNS services.
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What Makes CTV So Popular?
CTV is one of Canada’s most popular TV networks, mostly because of the sheer amount of content it offers - both national and foreign. On CTV’s platform, you can easily enjoy the likes of “The Big Bang Theory,” “Law & Order,” “Gotham,” and “Blue Bloods” - just to name a few examples.
Besides that, you get access to live TV on the spot, the latest news, and a user-friendly app that lets you stream shows and movies wherever and whenever you want. What’s more, CTV’s platform works on the most popular operating systems and devices as well.
How to Watch CTV Outside Canada - Conclusion
CTV is a popular platform that offers access to tons of entertainment. There’s just one problem - it’s only available in Canada, or the North of the US if you get it through cable or satellite.
Why isn’t CTV available in the rest of the world? Pretty simple - because the platform uses geo-restrictions to prevent people from other countries from watching its content. CTV does that to comply with copyright and licensing regulations, though that hardly means it’s fair that you have to settle for something else simply because you’re from a different part of the world.
Luckily, there’s an easy solution - just use a VPN or Smart DNS service to bypass those annoying geo-blocks. They have their pros and cons, so it’s best to pick a provider that offers you access to both services.
