Finally, Thursday Night Football has returned to our screens! Football fans worldwide have been waiting patiently for the greatest game on earth to come back, and the season is in full swing! We’ve already been treated to some incredible games, and the competition is looking tighter than ever on the field.
But, you might struggle to tune into your favorite games because of the expensive subscription fees you need to pay. However, there is a way that you can tune into free Thursday Night football live streams. These streams are free, but you must keep your device private and secure when venturing into the websites that allow you to watch NFL for free.
Luckily, there’s a handy cybersecurity tool you can install on your device to do just that. This tool can also help you to watch NFL games even if you’re not within US borders and you come across those annoying geo-blocking restrictions when trying to access the live stream. Please keep reading to find out how it all works!
Did You Know You Can Watch Thursday Night Football for Free?
You might be wondering why you need to pay such excessive subscription fees to watch your favorite teams go head-to-head in the NFL. The problem is that media companies like ESPN and Amazon Prime need to spend millions of dollars to secure the broadcasting rights that allow them to broadcast and stream the games to their customers. This means that they need to charge higher fees to make their money back!
But, along with those broadcasting rights also come a strict set of rules and regulations that media companies need to follow. One of these rules determines where they are allowed to broadcast the games — in the case of the NFL, it’s rare for companies to be allowed to stream the games outside of the United States.
Streaming websites will use your IP address (your device’s unique identifier on the internet) to determine whether you are in the correct region or not. If your IP address shows that you are not within US borders, then you’ll likely be blocked from accessing the live stream. This is known as geo-blocking.
The only way to get around paying these expensive subscription fees is to use a free sports live-streaming site. There are tons of these websites floating around the internet (like 123 Sports and USTVGO, for example). However, the disclaimer with these websites is that they do not host the content, and the live stream sources are unknown. So, you could be watching an unlicensed and unsecured live stream that might risk your device’s safety and data.
Make Sure to Use a VPN
Luckily though, all you need to do is install a handy cybersecurity tool on your device, known as a virtual private network. You might know it better as a VPN, but this tool will help you safely live stream NFL games no matter which live streaming avenue you choose (premium or free). Here’s why it’s so essential to have a VPN for live streaming.
Firstly, the primary purpose of a VPN is to encrypt your internet connection. This will prevent anyone else from seeing what you are doing on your device or snooping through your personal data. As long as your VPN is active, you can enjoy the games on free live-streaming sites without worrying about being at risk.
If you’re traveling outside of the US, you’ll also need to use a VPN to live stream NFL games — even if you’re subscribed to a premium streaming service like Amazon Prime Video. Being outside of the US borders will cause your live streams to be geo-blocked. But a VPN is once again the solution here. VPNs allow you to connect to secure global servers in other countries or cities worldwide. In doing so, your real IP address will be masked, and your device will adopt the IP address of the server that you have connected to.
So, if you’re trying to watch NFL games from Mexico, you must launch your VPN and connect to a server in Texas. This will change your IP address and trick the website into thinking you are accessing it from inside the US.
Choosing the Perfect VPN
It would be best if you chose the right VPN for streaming, though. There are thousands of different VPNs to choose from on the market, and even some free ones too! Unfortunately, this is one area where you can’t take any shortcuts! Using a free VPN, you’ll encounter several problems, such as slower connection speeds, more ads, less security, fewer global servers to choose from, and even daily data limits. So, if you want the best streaming experience on game day, make sure you always use a premium VPN!
