Football season is right around the corner. With this year’s NFL season kicking off on September 9, we want to ensure you don’t miss a single second of your team’s games. Regardless of how you choose to watch the game, using a VPN will not only help you cut costs and access your favorite NFL teams from any location.

The last thing you want to happen after getting ready for the game is not being able to watch it, right? Geo-restrictions and blackouts occur based on, you guessed it, your location. Keep reading to learn more about how geo-restrictions work and how you can bypass them with a secure VPN.

What Are Geo-Restrictions?

Keep in mind that, even if you can access your favorite teams from home, you may have trouble watching all the games on the NFL schedule this year if you are traveling. Geo-restrictions are put in place based on your IP address. Your IP address will change based on your location. It also acts as a unique address that identifies not only your device but your local network. Geo-restrictions, in other words, are put in place when your IP address is out of network for the game you want to watch.

So, why do geo-restrictions exist in the first place?

Content providers are required to follow stringent copyright regulations. Many of these regulations, unfortunately, dictate when geo-restrictions are applied to certain football games. Geo-restrictions also boil down to licensing rules. Online content providers have to purchase licensing rights, meaning they have to stay within a specific budget.

How to Bypass Blackout Restrictions

Much like geo-restrictions, blackout restrictions are put in place to encourage NFL fans to attend more home games in person, thus increasing ticket sales. These restrictions have also expanded into other broadcasting methods like cable TV and internet. Even if you subscribe to the NFL Game Pass plan, you still can’t access every game. That’s a hefty amount without a full access guarantee.

Take a look at the best VPNs to use for this year’s NFL season below.

VPNs encrypt your IP address and allow you to connect to servers in different locations. Essentially, using a VPN will hide your original IP address and replace it with a new one so you can watch your NFL team from anywhere. Remember that VPNs also help you stay anonymous online, so third parties can’t watch any of your online activity. Plus, VPNs can cost as little as $2 per month, saving you hundreds of dollars on NFL streaming costs.

Final Thoughts

Don’t let blackout or geo-restrictions rain on your game day parade this year. When you download a VPN, you will not only be able to bypass restrictions but save a ton of money in the process. Whether you’re looking to access a particular game from home or want to access your NFL team’s games while traveling, a secure VPN will help you with the above, all while allowing you to stream anonymously.