Issues with ESPN+ Bruins blackouts and VPN

Dinkleberries

New Member
Jul 13, 2011
15
Somerville, MA
Let me preface this by saying that I'm not at all technically savvy. I switched to YouTube TV Just before they axed NESN, of course, and missed the bulk of last season. That said, I have an ESPN+ account via the Disney/Hulu/ESPN package and, because Bergeron, I need to have the B's in my life again this season. Due to blackouts, I can't watch Bruins games on ESPN+ so I paid for a VPN (ExpressVPN) hoping that I could work around the blackout (I live on the North Shore) by having my IP address outside of the area but I have not been able to make it happen. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm loathe to pay $30/month for NESN 360 and really don't feel like switching my provider to FUBO though I will as a last resort. Thanks in advance for any tips!
 

ColdSoxPack

Well-Known Member
Silver Supporter
Jul 14, 2005
2,351
Simi Valley, CA
I don't have the answer to your problem but one time while vacationing i tried to use a VPN to watch an otherwise blacked out Red Sox came and that didn't work. So there's that.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2013
72,428
Let me preface this by saying that I'm not at all technically savvy. I switched to YouTube TV Just before they axed NESN, of course, and missed the bulk of last season. That said, I have an ESPN+ account via the Disney/Hulu/ESPN package and, because Bergeron, I need to have the B's in my life again this season. Due to blackouts, I can't watch Bruins games on ESPN+ so I paid for a VPN (ExpressVPN) hoping that I could work around the blackout (I live on the North Shore) by having my IP address outside of the area but I have not been able to make it happen. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm loathe to pay $30/month for NESN 360 and really don't feel like switching my provider to FUBO though I will as a last resort. Thanks in advance for any tips!
Perhaps you need a billing address outside of the blackout area. Have you tried changing the account address? (And perhaps having a friend/family member pay for it and pay them back?)

that said, blackouts are so last century
It’s time to end them
 

LogansDad

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2006
29,049
Alamogordo
How many different locations have you tried on tbe VPN? Occasionally the companies figure out that an IP is a VPN address and shut it down, so it might work if you try a different location.
 

savage362

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 16, 2003
1,389
Vermont
What device are you running the VPN and trying to watch on? Some providers will utilize the device's Location Services while others use the Billing Address for your account.

I've never used ESPN+ but I've had mixed results with MLB.tv and NordVPN on a desktop. As LogansDad mentioned, it seems like some of the IPs for various locations are identified as VPNs by these services and eventually blocked. Sometimes I'd need to try 3-4 different locations to find one that worked. I would guess that this is going to be the situation you're running into and just need to keep changing VPN locations until you find one that works.