Portugal is a favorite destination for tourists from the world over for its history and beauty. If you are in Portugal, and you want to watch one of your favorite shows on a US Television channel, you will, unfortunately, not be able to do so. In the following lines, we show you how to unlock and access all the American TV channels and bypass restrictions easily and quickly.
Why Can’t You watch US TV in Portugal?
American television, one of the most popular entertainment producers in the world, can restrict the broadcasting for TV channels outside US borders. This is usually known as geo-restrictions. That is why you are looking at a way to unblock access to American content.
The television networks can determine your location through your IP address, and if you are outside the USA, you are blocked. The IP does not show the exact location where you are but shows the country from where you access the internet to watch your favorite show.
These restrictions are determined by licensing rights that some countries have. Some American TV channels are forced to pay taxes in order to acquire broadcast rights in a particular country.
So are you wondering how to get an American IP when you are not physically in the United States? Below we show you how to access American TV channels in Portugal.
Solution – a VPN to watch US TV Channels live
If you want to access American television in Portugal, you need to mask your real IP address, which will unblock US Television.
This is where VPNs come in. A Virtual Private Network hides your actual location, helping you to unlock and watch American TV channels in Portugal. Therefore, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a private internet network that has the possibility to connect itself to another internet network.
With the help of such software, you can unblock and access certain geo-restricted websites. More than that, the VPN protects your personal location. This is possible because, with the help of it, you can set your location.
Bypass geo-restrictions with ExpressVPN >
So, you can set a USA location and, this way, you have permission to watch a program on a previously-restricted American TV channel in the country where you are, for example Portugal.
When you access a site, the site detects your IP, determining your location, which, according to your setting, is in the USA and so you can enjoy the American TV channels.
With a VPN, you are able to access blocked sites. Through a VPN, it will look like you have logged in from a location other than Portugal, and thus you will have bypassed the restrictions.
A VPN works as an intermediary, directing the internet connection through the private server of the chosen VPN. Such solution creates a private “tunnel” on your device over the internet and hides your data through a process known as encryption.
How To Use a VPN to bypass geo-blocks?
We have covered how a Virtual Private Network operates. Here is how you can use it for accessing US TV shows live directly from Portugal:
- Subscribe to and download the best VPN possible. For us, it is clearly ExpressVPN.
- Sign into the service using your log in details
- Find a US server on the servers list
- Connect to that server and open the website of the US TV Channel you want to watch.
As you can see above, now you can enjoy all of the content that you have been missing! Whether it’s ABC, ESPN, US Netflix, Hulu…
Best VPN to Watch US TV in Portugal
Although there are many free VPNs, it is safer to use a popular and reliable one. This is because free software can also come packed with malware that you should try to avoid. By using a trustworthy VPN, you can rest assured that all of your data remains protected and private.
What is more, free software might not be able to bypass geo-restrictions. This means that you can risk your data privacy and still fail to get access to US TV channels. This is why we decided to present to you the top three service providers in the section below.
We’ve carefully selected them, focusing on the quality of the service, affordability, but also the privacy protocols they have in place that will keep your data private.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a bit on the expensive side but is considered to be the best. This is the top-quality VPN that is highly recommended for gamers, high power users, and other individuals that wish for HD quality and flawless performance.
With this VPN, you can access Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and other US TV channels straight from Portugal. And it offers excellent protection, especially if you go to countries like China or the Middle East where VPNs are censored.
ExpressVPN allows you to choose a city, not just a country, when you connect to it. What is more, ExpressVPN boasts more than 3,000 servers, ensuring the highest speed and no lag.
This software is available for Windows, Android, Linux, and Wi-Fi routers, and the servers from 18 US cities can unlock restricted sites anywhere in the world. What is more, the company offers non-stop live support and a money-back guarantee. To grab this VPN, click this button:
NordVPN
NordVPN is another good choice that can unlock most networks in the US. The company has 1592 servers throughout the United States, and more than 5,500 all around the world. With this VPN by your side in Portugal, you gain unlimited access to your favorite American TV channels and television at very affordable rates.
NordVPN offers dedicated addresses in four locations, a dedicated address giving you the ability to run your own media server, which means you can store movies at home and access them all from a mobile device when you are in Portugal.
You can download and install a NordVPN app on Windows or Android, and it has extensions for Chrome and Firefox. It offers live assistance 24 hours a day, seven days per week.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost offers good speeds for streaming, and through this VPN, you can access Netflix US and most American TV channels. The company has over 600 servers located in 19 US cities and more than 6,000 servers around the world.
CyberGhost also offers very good security measures, and is the most affordable VPN from our list. Therefore, if you are on a budget while visiting Portugal, this might be the right choice for you. It also comes with a 1 day trial that you can use to test the service.
Apart from their affordability, CyberGhost offers high-quality services, and they value your privacy. As a result, they have many technologies that guard your data, such as a no-logs policy and many others. Find out more and subscribe here:
Wrap Up
If you want to watch during your stay in Portugal (or elsewhere), your favorite American TV programs, or if you want to surf the internet without any problem, VPNs are the best solution.
ExpressVPN is quite expensive but offers the fastest connection and a higher level of data security, thus highly recommended for power users. For a more affordable option, CyberGhost is what you need! Anyway, whichever you choose, you cannot go wrong!