ESPN+ Australia: How to Watch it in 2024 [Ultimate Guide]

Is ESPN+ available in Australia? Officially, ESPN Plus Australia is not available due to geo-restrictions. However, you can use

After all, even the ones who don’t play, love to watch sports. There’s a straightforward and easy way to get ESPN+ to stream in Australia, and in this how-to guide, we’ll just look at that. 

Why Can’t You Watch ESPN+ in Australia?

An insight into the background of ESPN+ not streaming outside the US is essential. When you try to access ESPN+ from Australia – or any other country you may be in – the site says that the content is not available due to rights issues. 

Since ESPN+ mostly broadcasts and streams American sports (NFL, NBA, etc.), it’s reasonable that only American audiences enjoy it. 

So, ESPN Inc. owned by The Walt Disney Company can stream the USA’s content only – if a channel chooses to stream their content without their permission outside the US, that will be copyright infringement.

Here’s what ESPN+ Australia fans see when they go to ESPN’s website in Australia. (Pretty ironic how the ref is showing a red card!)

Great, now we know it’s geo-restricted – only restricted to the US – is there anything we can do about it without any problems? Yes, you can, let’s jump into it.

How to Watch ESPN+ in Australia? (Easy Steps)

As I said, the process is quite straightforward, but you have to follow all the steps carefully to make it work:

• Subscribe to a VPN that works with ESPN Plus in Australia
• Pay for an ESPN Plus Subscription

After subscribing to a VPN, the next step is to sign up for ESPN Plus in Australia. If you have an American credit/debit card, you can directly sign up for ESPN Plus by connecting to a US server with the help of a VPN.

But if, as an ESPN+ Australia aficionado, you don’t have an American payment method, you can follow the mentioned below steps to subscribe to ESPN Plus in Australia.

How to Sign Up for ESPN Plus in Australia without American Payment?

You can use this US virtual prepaid card to get an ESPN Plus subscription in Australia:

1. First, head to the StatesPay website and click on the “Sign up” option to create a US virtual prepaid card.
2. Now enter all the relevant information to register your account.
3. Once you created your StatesPay account, you can add funds through your Master and Visa debit or credit card or PayPal account.
4. Now connect to the US server using a VPN and head to the ESPN Plus website.
5. Click on the “Sign Up Now” button.
6. Now choose your plan.
7. Once you choose your plan, enter all the required information and click “Create Account.”
8. Now for payment visit account.statescard.com, sign in, and click on “Show Card Details.”
9. Enter your US virtual card details on the ESPN Plus website and voilà!

Once you subscribe to ESPN Plus, it is very straightforward to watch it in Australia.

Here’s how you can watch ESPN Plus in Australia:

1. Connect to the US server using a VPN.
2. Make sure your device location is off.
3. Head to the ESPN Plus website, sign in, and watch!

Where Can I Stream ESPN+ in Australia?

You can download or directly stream ESPN+ on the following devices:

1. iPhone/iPad
2. Android smartphones, tablets, and TV
3. Smart TV (Samsung Smart TV)
4. Amazon Firestick and Fire TV
5. Roku
6. Apple TV
7. Web Browser (Chrome, Firefox, and Edge)
8. PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
9. Xbox One and Xbox X|S series
10. Google Chromecast

What Sports Can I Watch ESPN Plus?

ESPN+ offers a variety of live sports streaming for its subscribers. Following are the sports that you can watch on ESPN+:

1. Football (LaLiga, Bundesliga, English FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Copa Del Ray, EFL, US Open Cup and more).
2. Tennis (US Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open and more)
3. Combat (UFC, Top Rank, and PFL)
4. Golf (PGA Tour)
5. Baseball (MLB)
6. College Sports (football, basketball, lacrosse, baseball, hockey, wrestling, and more.)
7. Cricket

Other than live sports, you can also watch one of the best sports shows and documentaries like 30 for 30 and more.

How Much Does ESPN+ Cost in Australia

In terms of cost, getting ESPN+ in Australia is different since you need a VPN to access the streaming service due to content licensing.

Other than the VPN cost, you can get an ESPN+ monthly plan for $10.99 (AUD $16.30) or go for a yearly plan that costs you $109.99 (AUD $163.12) and save over 15%.

You can also subscribe to a Bundle plan that includes ESPN+ (with ads) with Disney+ (with ads) and Hulu (with ads) for $14.99 (AUD $22.22) a month and save over 44%.

Note: If you want to read a detailed guide on the topic, read our ESPN+ Cost in Australia Guide. In case, you are looking to find a way to get an ESPN+ free trial, read this guide. Also, if you want to cancel your ESPN+ subscription, read our ESPN+ Subscription Cancellation Guide.

What is ESPN+? How is that different from ESPN?

ESPN+ is an independent sports streaming app where you can watch live sports, exclusive studio shows, sports series, and documentaries that are not available on ESPN.

With ESPN+, users can purchase UFC PPV events and also stream on-demand content such as 30 for 30 library, films, game replays, and more from anywhere on their mobile devices through its official app or ESPN website.

You will also get access to premium sports tools and featured articles from the most respected and experienced sports gurus. This is all you get with an ESPN+ subscription.

However, you can’t watch ESPN’s traditional TV networks and content on them with ESPN+. So if you want to stream traditional ESPN channels content, you need to get a cable TV or satellite TV subscription.

Best VPN to Watch ESPN+ Australia

Now that you’re fully educated on the process, there’s still a crucial part left, and that is choosing the best VPN service for this job. 

See, not all VPNs can pull this off. Before these three paid services, I tried a free VPN, and could still see the blocked screen. The following are successful subscription-based VPN services that worked well for me.

1. ExpressVPN (Recommended)

ExpressVPN did the best job. It’s the superlative form of a VPN with lightning-fast servers, impregnable security, and an unimaginably vast server network across the planet. Some exciting features of ExpressVPN are:

• The widest device coverage (available on most devices and operating systems)
• VPN split tunneling (your internet is partially connected via VPN and the rest is direct)
• A strict and trusted no-log policy (not tracking your data)
• A fast customer service that’s live 24/7 in case any problem arises
• Unblocks other geo-block video services such as Sky Sports, HBO Max, YouTube TV, Channel 4, TV Player, Sling TV, Showtime, Peacock TV, American Disney Plus, US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Hulu in Australia.

And of course, an affordable price. This is all that keeps ExpressVPN way above the competition and my favorite choice, in case a better one arrives!

Offers 30-day money-back guarantee!

2. NordVPN – Best VPN for ESPN Australia Streaming

NordVPN didn’t come any slow when I unblocked ESPN+. This service has a reputation, unlike any other, and has the largest market share out of all. These are the features that make NordVPN ideal for you to watch ESPN+ in Australia:

• Ability to connect six devices simultaneously
• A firm no-logs policy, true to its promise
• A DoubleVPN feature that doubles the security
• A 24/7 customer support
• Highly affordable prices
• Unblock other geo-blocked services such as Hotstar, NBC, ITV Player, and BT Sport in Australia.

Offers 30-day money-back guarantee!

3. PrivateVPN – Reliable VPN

PrivateVPN is no older or newer than other options in this list, but recently their improved service has shown excellent results. PrivateVPN is affordable, blazing-fast, well-trusted, and user-friendly. A few other cool features PrivateVPN offers:

• Unlimited bandwidth to stream ESPN+ and more
• Ability to connect six devices at the same time
• Servers in 52 countries
• Best anonymous torrenting

Keen to provide you with the best, PrivateVPN is nailing its job for now. Their prices are the lowest on this list.

Offers 30-day money-back guarantee!

Other sports events/ shows you can watch with PrivateVPN:

Is ESPN+ Available in Australia?

As of 2024, ESPN+ isn’t available in Australia due to licensing restrictions. However, if you want to stream ESPN Plus in Australia, you can do it using a quality VPN like ExpressVPN.

How a VPN Lets You Access Geo-Restricted Content

Right, so, we know how to watch ESPN+ in Australia (the complete process); we know what makes that process more efficient (a better VPN); now to the third thing: what a VPN is doing in the background? 

It’s essential to understand this area as it will help you understand my VPN choices even better and help you pick an even better VPN for yourself.

So, here’s a simple question: how does a site know your location when you connect to it?

Of course, that’s the only way they’ll know you’re not from the US, right? As it turns out, our internet connection has an IP address, which gives the site that we’re connecting to a rough estimate of our location – not accurate to your exact coordinates.

A VPN hides this IP address from the site and assigns you another IP address. This new IP address is from the server you’ve connected to – in this case, a US-based server.

This IP conversion tells the site (ESPN+ or any other geo-blocked site) that you’re from the listed and allowed regions, and voila, you’re in. Enter the plot twist.

Most massive networks such as ESPN+, Sky Sports, Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, etc. have already blocked an enormous amount of VPN IP addresses – but mostly the free ones.

To access, you’re left with no option but to purchase a VPN service. But no, this isn’t the only reason why you, as an ESPN+ Australia enthusiast, should always go with a premium VPN.

Offers 30-day money-back guarantee!

What Happens If You Use a Free VPN to Unblock Services?

Besides zero efficiency, free VPNs are the breeding grounds for internet fraud and privacy invasion. Even the bigger, more trusted companies were recently found violating their fundamental business integrity.

Free VPNs are businesses, and businesses need money to sustain themselves. Without money coming from you, these companies keep you happy on paper and sell your personal information from the backdoor.

Their customers mostly include advertisers, ISPs, and other interested big brothers in exchange for cold hard cash. Do you still think they’re free? You paid them with your sensitive information.

And even if we single this factor out, free VPNs are merely bad. ESPN+ mostly blocks them; they’re slower as their servers are cheaper (essentially, free) and have more traffic, they’re unstable, and connections cut quite often. It’s a waste of time even considering them.

On the other hand, you pay the premium services to their job, which keeps them from embezzling your info around. Their servers are efficient, exclusive, and paid for. And above all, their customer support is there to help you out.

So, ESPN+ Australia fanatics should make a better decision and make it well.

FAQs – ESPN Australia

I’ve tried to make the process as straightforward and understandable for you as possible, but still, I might’ve left some things out – let me answer them now.

Conclusion

There you go, fellows. You can now teach the world how to watch ESPN+ in Australia – or, you can just sit home, relax, and enjoy the planet’s top sports (including sports-related shows and documentaries).

Remember, there’s no such thing as a ‘Free VPN’. All VPNs are paid for: some take your money, and some put your life and privacy at risk. The ones you pay for with cash can unblock every streaming service there is – the others just sit around.

Which one to go for? You be the judge.