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.
is a Texas-based VPN service with an impressive network of 2,400 servers worldwide. It’s one of the few VPN providers that manages all its infrastructure in-house, owning 100% of its servers and only using self-developed software for its service.
While being one of the fastest VPNs on the market, IPVanish also offers a vast range of features that not only provide faster speeds but also enhance stability and security. With a 7-day free trial and prices starting as low as $2.19 per month, users certainly get a lot for their money.
First of all, please do not feel intimidated: the perhaps vulgar name of the UK-based company is intended to be a pun. HMA VPN has a mascot in the form of a donkey, and thus this little wordplay is nothing to worry about. You should rather pay attention to the fact that HMA VPN is easily one of the best VPN companies today; they offer much more than a standard package. You are also welcome to try out the free web proxy, an anonymous e-mail service and an IP:Port premium service, which is essentially a more elaborate proxy product. On top of this, you also have VPN browser extensions for Chrome and Mozilla to use. HMA VPN does all this while still maintaining decent speeds and healthy prices. These are coupled with the fact that HMA VPN remains one of few providers who still enable access to Netflix. But the most impressive thing about this organization is the number of locations provided – it is unprecedented today.
NordVPN has already managed to conquer the market by being one of the most reputable and trustworthy services ever made. Among its vast arsenal of features, the close attention given to security is one of the major highlights, thanks to the presence of an automatic kill switch, protection against DNS leaks, ads and malware, and even double VPN servers.
Speaking of which, these are only some of NordVPN's special servers that compose a global network filled with unusual locations, P2P countries, support for Onion over VPN, and more. NordVPN has a handful of different subscriptions in the form of simple apps for all kinds of devices and user types.
For as little as $3.09 per month, users can enjoy all the perks of having a secure and high-speed VPN. Plus, a generous refund policy allows you to get your money back if you decide NordVPN isn’t for you during the first 30 days.
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