CTV not working with VPN: How to fix it (2023 guide)

CTV is a popular online streaming service available to Canadian telly addicts. It’s home to a brilliantly vast selection of TV shows, movies and live TV channels – but if you don’t live in Canada, you won’t be able to gain access. A top-tier VPN will help you solve the problem, but what happens if it stops working? Our guide explains what to do if your VPN isn’t working with CTV.

When you’re desperate to catch up with your favourite CTV shows while you’re abroad, you shouldn’t have to deal with annoying error messages. If the VPN you’re struggling with now fails to work, there’s a good chance that CTV has blacklisted the server you’re trying to connect to. That means you can’t use CTV until you’re on Canadian soil.

Keep scrolling as we explain how to solve the problem in just a couple of minutes.

In this article:

• Best VPNs to watch CTV
• Why is CTV not working with my VPN?
• How does CTV detect my VPN?
• Free VPNs for CTV
• The best VPNs for CTV
• Watch CTV on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android

Best VPNs to watch CTV

Why is CTV not working with my VPN?

If the CTV website works out that you’re trying to use a VPN to connect from outside Canada, your connection will be blocked right away. However, a trusted VPN can still help you stream TV shows and movies from anywhere in the world.

So here’s the problem: your current VPN isn’t working with CTV – that’s probably because it’s not doing a good job of hiding your real location. Some or all of the VPN servers you have available to you through your current VPN may be blacklisted by the CTV website. If you swap over to a better VPN, you’ll be able to use CTV without being interrupted.

Try these fixes

Delete your browser cookies – Let’s start with the basic stuff. Cookies that are saved locally on your device will help websites to understand where you’re viewing content from. We suggest you clear your cookies so that CTV will no longer recognise your previous IP address.

Try connecting to a different VPN server – The server you’re trying to use with CTV might be acting slower than usual, or not at all. We suggest you try and connect to a different server based in Canada to see if that solves your problem.

Contact a support team through your VPN – Depending on the VPN you have installed, you might be able to reach out to the support team directly and ask why CTV isn’t working. Annoyingly, not every VPN has a support team available around the clock.

Uninstall and reinstall your VPN software – In some situations, a full reset of your VPN software can solve connectivity issues and give you access to CTV. Try uninstalling and reinstalling.

Worked your way through the potential fixes above and still seeing errors? We suggest you sign up with a different VPN, so keep scrolling for a list of great options.

How does CTV detect my VPN?

Good question. If your VPN isn’t hiding your real location, CTV will attempt to interfere with the server you’re using, which means your VPN is practically useless. Bad VPNs take an age to replace blacklisted servers, which means you have no way of gaining access to TV shows and movies on the CTV website.

The best VPNs we’ve played around with do a top job of replacing blacklisted servers. That means that, even if CTV has disabled a server based somewhere in Canada, a replacement will be up sooner rather than later.

Free VPNs for CTV

If you’re on a tight budget, free VPNs can be tempting. But you should avoid them – free VPNs are more likely to sell your data to third parties so they can make a profit. In contrast, the trusted VPNs we’ve listed on this page will keep your valuable data hidden at all times.

The best VPNs for CTV in 2023

ExpressVPN

• 1-month subscription: £10.90 per month
• 6-month subscription: £8.41 per month
• 1-year subscription + 3 months free: £5.61 per month (49% off)

If the VPN you’re using isn’t working with CTV, switch to ExpressVPN. We’ll happily recommend this beginner-friendly VPN – it’s easy to use, fast and works brilliantly if you’re looking to watch TV on CTV from abroad.

ExpressVPN does a great job of replacing its blacklisted servers. That means that, even if CTV disables incoming connections from ExpressVPN, the VPN will have a replacement server up and running ASAP. To access your account, all you need to do is open up ExpressVPN, connect to a server in Canada and go from there.

Try ExpressVPN with our unique discount code (30-day money-back guarantee)

Ivacy

• 1-month subscription: $9.95 per month
• 1-year subscription: $3.99 per month (save $71.40)
• 5-year subscription + FREE password manager: $1 per month (90% off)

Ivacy is worth a closer look if you want to stream TV on CTV while you’re travelling. This is one of the most popular, affordable VPNs around, thanks in part to its battle against blacklisted servers.

This trusted VPN will hide your real location so you can use all of CTV’s features, even if you’ve roamed outside of Canada. Use our exclusive link below and you get instant access to over 1,000 VPNs servers across the world. A single membership to Ivacy also means you can protect up to 10 gadgets at a time.

Try Ivacy with our unique discount code (30-day money-back guarantee)

For more on Ivacy, you can read our full Ivacy review.

NordVPN

• 1-month subscription: £10.29 per month
• 1-year subscription: £3.89 per month (40% off)
• 2-year subscription: £2.99 per month (54% off)

Here’s another VPN for your shortlist if you want to use CTV abroad. NordVPN has servers all over the world and all of them are protected by military-grade encryption. That means they’re extremely secure and you can connect without handing over your valuable personal data to companies that shouldn’t own it.

If you run into some problems while getting to grips with NordVPN and CTV, you can make use of the live chat feature for a helping hand.

Try NordVPN with our unique discount code (30-day money-back guarantee)

Atlas VPN

• 1-month subscription: £9.83 per month
• 1-year subscription: £2.69 per month (73% off with code BIGDEAL)
• 2-year subscription + 3 months extra: £1.49 per month (85% off with code BIGDEAL)

Atlas VPN will act as a shield against online nasties while unlocking geo-restricted content for you. It’s a good pick for buyers on a tight budget and comes with a built-in tracker blocker that stops ads, dodgy websites and phishing links in their path. It’s a solid choice if you want to watch CTV anywhere in the world.

Other Atlas VPN features include a shielded connection that leaves ‘no room for unsecured data exchanges’, plus a data breach monitor that tells you if your personal details have been exposed online. This service has a no-logs policy (that means your activities aren’t tracked) and a network kill switch that halts the service if your connection becomes unstable.

Try Atlas VPN today with our exclusive code (30-day money-back guarantee)

PureVPN

• 1-month subscription: $12.45 per month
• 1-year subscription: $3.74 per month (70% off)
• 2-year subscription: $2.29 per month (82% off)

If your current VPN doesn’t work with CTV, treat yourself to a better alternative. PureVPN is a great example, being powerful enough to unlock geo-locked websites so you can enjoy them without a hassle. You’ll be able to log in to your CTV account even if you’re not currently in Canada.

Try PureVPN with our unique discount code (31-day money-back guarantee)

Prices listed above correct at time of publication

Watch CTV on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android