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Last updated:
July 24, 2024
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If you are an avid watcher of Bollywood classics or just have an insatiable appetite for watching cricket, then we probably don’t need to introduce Hotstar. For those who don’t know what’s missing from their life, Hotstar is an on-demand video streaming service that hosts the best drama and comedy shows that India has to offer. But sadly the deal is too good to be true, since Hotstar is only available in India, and everybody else is treated with an unapologetic message stating that the “content is currently unavailable in your region”.
This harsh geo-restriction applies to everyone outside the country’s borders, even Indian expats traveling abroad. Luckily the usefulness of a VPN is no secret to the Hotstar community, and this guide will show you how to access your daily dose of live cricket streams.
Many people are baffled as to why the streaming service is unavailable for a non-Indian audience. Well, it seems that Star India — the TV network that owns Hotstar — is very protective of their broadcasting rights. Hotstar was originally intended as a streaming platform for the 2015 Cricket World Championship, but the concept was so popular that they started porting over several talk-shows, TV series and Bollywood movies as well. For a brief amount of time, the service was even available in the U.S. and Canada as well.
However, the sudden interest in Hotstar shifted large numbers of viewers from traditional TV to online streaming, and therefore the network had to step in and region-block the content. Indians living abroad or fans of Bollywood movies quickly found a solution to the problem by using a VPN connection. By rerouting your traffic through a server located in India, your IP is changed and the authentication system of Hotstar will recognize you as an Indian user.
Unfortunately, Hotstar is catching onto the trick and has deployed some roadblocks. People are starting to report that the geo-error message pops up even when accessing the site with a VPN in place. In the past Netflix has resorted to similar tactics, too. In this situation it’s important to remember to avoid free VPN services, stick to high-quality solutions and to make the most out of your chosen service’s initial money back guarantee.
Hotstar is also present in the smartphone world with its free app for iOS and Android systems. Here it’s the same song and dance in terms of evading the geo-block feature, but you must keep your device’s limitations in mind. The leading VPN providers offer a smartphone application alongside their desktop software, but running it with Hotstar will quickly drain the battery power. It’s far more convenient to apply the VPN protection to the router — or purchase a flashed router that comes with it pre-installed — because that way the safety net is extended to every device in the household.
If you are interested in circumventing the frustrating regional restriction of Hotstar, the following three VPN providers will serve you well.
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