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On May 27, die-hard fans worldwide watched the cast of “Friends” revisit Stage 24 at the Warner Bros. Studios, reminisce about their time spent at Central Perk, and re-enact their favorite scenes. But a lot of fans were unable to see their beloved characters reunite once again. Instead, they were greeted by a “Not in Service Area” message on HBO Max. Is there anything you can do? Actually, there is. You only need a VPN to be able to enjoy The One Where They Get Back Together.
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Why some online content is not available to you
Streaming platforms like Netflix, Sky, or HBO Max are often not available in certain areas, or they offer different content in different countries. There are a few reasons behind this:
- Content must be licensed for every country/region separately. That requires a lot of negotiating, paperwork, and time.
- A new season of a popular TV show will be cheaper after a few months – premiering it at the same time everywhere would cost too much money.
- Certain original content is available on local streaming platforms or TV channels, so users are unlikely to pay for a new subscription if their favorite show is already on the TV.
Because of all of this, popular streaming platforms set geo-restrictions. That’s the reason why you missed the “Friends” reunion, why Spotify is not available in Venezuela, and why Netflix users in Europe can’t watch “Maleficent.”
Watch the Friends reunion episode wherever you are
What are geo-restrictions? They work by granting access to the website only to users with certain IP addresses. For example, the HBO Max homepage will look very different to someone with an American IP address and someone with a Swedish IP address.
Luckily, there are ways you can hide your IP and get a new one. The fastest and easiest way is to subscribe to a reliable VPN service, like NordVPN. With it, you can change your IP in a second – one click is all it takes.
Proxies or the Tor browser can also change your IP, but they are often unstable and prone to IP and DNS leaks, and therefore unreliable. NordVPN offers a stable connection, thousands of servers to choose from, the fastest VPN speeds on the market, and bulletproof encryption. Once you’re connected to one of their servers in the US, you’ll get an American IP, and to every online service you will appear to be browsing from the USA.
With geo-restrictions gone, you can stream movies and TV shows like a local. It works the same way in every country you connect to. This could also result in better prices – some popular products and subscriptions are cheaper in certain parts of the world. If you want to save a few bucks, make sure to investigate different markets.
Won’t a VPN slow me down?
It’s a widely known fact that browsing with a VPN is significantly slower than without one. And, if you’re looking to stream video content, you don’t want that buffering icon to show up every two minutes.
Luckily, you won’t have this problem with NordVPN. They have recently introduced a new VPN protocol called NordLynx. It combines both speed and security like no other VPN protocol ever could. With it, you’ll never have to worry about buffering again. Once you enable NordLynx, you’ll be able to connect to a remote server in a literal second and then hardly even notice the difference when browsing, gaming, or streaming.
Another thing worth noting is that connecting to NordVPN could even make your connection faster. If your ISP decides to limit your internet speed specifically for streaming, a VPN will help. Once you connect to a remote server, your ISP no longer sees what you do online, so they can’t throttle internet speed for specific traffic, like streaming or gaming.
Use streaming services anywhere in the world
Want to watch Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu without restrictions? It’s easy:
- Go to NordVPN.com
- Get a subscription.
- Download the app.
- Connect and enjoy!
Keep in mind that streaming platforms sometimes block IPs of known VPN servers, so you might need to try a few different servers until you find one that works. If you have any trouble setting up your app or connecting to a streaming service, you can always contact NordVPN’s support team. They are available online 24/7 and will happily solve any problems you might have.
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