Are you trying to watch something on ORF in Austria, but instead all you see is an error message telling you that the program or the live stream can only be seen if you are located in Austria? What can you do about this?
Right now, I wanted to watch a football match on ORF between Norway and Austria, but as I started the live stream, all I could see was the following picture portraying the error message I have already referred to several times in this article.
Is there something you can do to get rid of the message? How can you and I watch ORF abroad? And what did I do to watch the football match between Norway and Austria on ORF, even though I am writing this article elsewhere in Europe?
This is what I did to watch ORF outside Austria!
What did I do? I know that the solution is to make the ORF website believe that I am in Austria, but then the error message also tells me that I cannot use a VPN. What does that mean? It means that ORF is blocking most VPN providers on the market (offering you an IP address in Austria). So, even though I have an Austrian IP address doesn't mean that I will actually be able to watch ORF and get access to the content.
Since I have subcsriptions to several VPN providers, I tested several of them, and many of them gave me the same message. That was until I tried to watch the match using ExpressVPN. This service is well-known to many of us, not only because it has servers in more than 100 countries, but also because it is one of the best for unblocking streaming services such as Netflix, Paramount+, PeacockTV, BBC iPlayer, and many others.
ExpressVPN is easy to use, and has applications for Windows, Linux, Macintosh, Android, iOS, and also browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. If you don't like it, you can ask for a full refund for 30 days after you purchased your subscription. A nice bonus is that you can use one single subscription on five devices simultaneously!
What next? Visit the website of ExpressVPN, purchase a subscription, and download the ExpressVPN application. After that, launch the application or the browser extension and connect to a server in Austria. This will give you an Austrian IP address (that isn't blocked by ORF). The rest is easy. Restart your browser (or the ORF application), and you are now ready to watch ORF and whatever content you are interested in immediately. And the good news is that I am able to watch Norway play against Austria live on ORF as well!
Unfortunately, the VPN cannot help the Austrian national team beat Norway, but it will at least help me watch the action and the upcoming goals (I do hope there will be some more).
When I am finished watching the match I am ready to take advantage of all the other benefits of my ExpressVPN subscription; watching Netflix content in more than 10 different countries, accessing BBC iPlayer, watching ITVX, surfing encrypted and securely (even when using public WiFi networks), and so much more.
Don't you feel like using a VPN to watch ORF without the annoying error message? A great option is to visit Austria and the beautiful city of Vienna. As you use any mobile network or WiFi network in Austria, you will surf with a local IP address in Austria that isn't blocked by ORF either. The city of Vienna has some of the most beautiful streets and attractions in the world, and some of the most interesting museums. You can read more about Vienna and all the city has to offer in the Vienna Guide at https://www.viennawien.net/. But, once again - if you want to save time and money, it is way easier and cheaper to buy a subscription to ExpressVPN compared to traveling to Vienna, booking accommodation, and so much more.
I hope these instructions have helped you. If you need help along the way, or just want advice on what you should eat during your trip to Vienna, write in the comment field below.