Sky subsidiary Now (formerly Now TV) offers streaming access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership. You can get a day of access for £12, or sign up to a monthly plan from £25 per month right now.
9Now has dedicated apps for most smart TVs, as well as iOS and Android. The service is also the place to stream Love Island in Australia.
ESPN’s standalone streaming service costs $10 a month or $100 for an annual subscription. With it, you’ll be able to watch a large selection of cricket action, including the Ashes. Read our ESPN Plus review.
Sony Liv’s coverage of the Ashes requires a premium subscription, which currently costs Rs 999 for a year, Rs 699 for six months, or Rs 299 per month. For cricket fans who only want to watch the action while on the move, a mobile-only plan can be had for Rs 599 per year.
Quick tips for streaming cricket using a VPN
With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming live cricket may vary.
If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
