If there's one thing that can unite all Australian expats, it's a deep-rooted yearning for 9Now, the streaming servce arm of free-to-air Nine Network.
It's little wonder Australia has such a reputation for sporting excellence when such a variety of it is available to watch without paying a cent. It's particularly good for fans of tennis and rugby, which tend to be locked behind paywalls in most countries. And don't forget all the drama and reality TV with Love Island Australia and more.
While 9Now is a doddle to use in Australia, it'll stop working the moment you leave. So read on as we explain how to watch 9Now live from anywhere in the world.
To watch 9Now, you first need to register an account, which takes a matter of seconds. You don't need to submit any payment details either, because it's completely free to use.
Start by entering your email address on the 9Now website and creating a password.
You'll then need to declare the month and year of your birth, your postcode (you can simply search by city or town), and your gender.
You'll promptly receive a six-digit code over email, which you'll use to complete the process.
Voila! You can now live stream Channel 9, 9Gem, 9Go!, 9Life and Rush, and peruse the extensive on-demand 9Now library.
If you've ever tried to access 9Now from outside Australia, you'll be painfully aware that the streaming platform doesn't work outside the country.
However, there is one way to get around this measure.
If you sign up for the best VPN, no matter where you are you'll be able to connect to a server based in virtually any country in the world, as long as you have an internet connection.
If you leave Australia to go on holiday, for instance, a VPN will let to connect to a server in your home country, thereby granting access to the full 9Now catalogue. Turn on your VPN, pick an Australia server, and then head to 9Now to stream as normal.
The fluffiest feather in 9Now's cap is its live sports offering.
The network, under its "Nine's Wide World of Sports" banner, holds the rights to live tennis, rugby union, rugby league and golf at the time of writing, deals that allow viewers to watch some of the world's biggest and most popular sports competitions and events without paying a penny.
Its tennis offering covers the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open, and a multitude of smaller events throughout the calendar.
It's also home to the NRL, Rugby Championship, Wallabies rugby union internationals, Masters golf, and the occasional cricket match too.
If reality TV is your vice, 9Now has you covered. There's plenty more besides of course, but the genre is something of a stronghold for Nine Network.
Even if you live in Australia, the moment you leave the country whether for work or vacation, you'll lose access to the entire 9Now library.
A VPN will give you a route back in, no matter where in the world you are. Plus, you'll be able to tap into programming from different regions of Australia.
VPNs also encrypt and anonymize your browsing data, keeping it private not only from cybercriminal and government snooping, but from your internet service provider too.