The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Espanola, also known as RTVE, is Spain’s state-owned public media company. It consists of seven television channels, six radio stations, and online and streaming services. On RTVE, you can find any type of Spanish content you want. RTVE play also offers free access to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Nations League, UEFA Euro 2024, and a variety of other international sporting events. However, it should be discouraging to know that all of these contents are available on Spanish soil.
If you try to access RTVE from outside of Spain, you will be subject to geo-restriction. Furthermore, you may miss your favorite sporting events, such as Spain’s national team games during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.
Wouldn’t that be aggravating? But don’t be concerned! I’ll show you how to watch RTVE from outside of Spain. We will use a professional VPN service to change our virtual location to Spain. We will be able to watch RTVE from all over the world using this method.
Analysis: RTVE is a global multimedia company that can be accessed from any location. However, RTVE can only stream some of its content within Spain due to licensing and copyright restrictions. This is why geo-restriction kicks in, preventing you from watching RTVE if you try to access the platform from outside of Spain (without a Spanish IP address).
Solution: VPNs are tools that encrypt our online traffic by routing it through a secure tunnel to the servers of the VPN service provider. Furthermore, in addition to improving our online security, it assigns us a new IP address from the server to which we choose to connect. We noted that we can’t watch RTVE outside of Spain because we don’t have a Spanish IP address. By connecting to a VPN server in Spain, we can get ourselves a Spanish IP address and watch RTVE from all around the world.
A quick guide to streaming RTVE outside Spain via VPN:
- Go to Surfshark VPN – It has servers in Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia in Spain.
- Click the “Get SurfShark” button and choose a plan. (If you sign up for a longer period, you can save as much as 83%.)
- Enter your email address and make the payment with a preferred method. (SurfShark will send your login details to your email)
- Sign in to your SurfShark account and install the VPN app that works with your device.
- Log in to the SurfShark app using the same credentials.
- Go to the “Locations” tab in the app, enter “Spain” in the search bar, and connect to the available server.
You will have a Spanish IP address once the connection is established. With this simple solution, you can watch RTVE from anywhere around the globe. As shown in the image below…
If you’re familiar with VPNs, these quick steps should have addressed the issue. However, if this is your first time using a VPN, you may be stumped. Have no fear. I’ll go over why we face geo-restrictions and why VPN services are the most practical way to get around them.
Okay, let’s get going.
Understanding RTVE geo-restriction
Let us first investigate why RTVE’s online broadcasts are limited to Spain’s territory.
With the rise of online streaming and the growing number of digital platforms, licensing and copyright agreements have arisen as one of the most paramount issues in recent years. All media companies must abide by these agreements, and RTVE is no exception. They can only air online content in specific territories.
I believe a story will help us better understand the situation.
Assume you’ve been invited to a friend’s wedding in America. The wedding was stunning enough to make the kings envious, and you wanted to unwind for a few days while you were there. You know Spain has a big game tonight, so you turn on RTVE.
What then, do you think, will occur?
Nothing! When you click the play button, the page remains unchanged. There is no error message, no buffering… You won’t even know why the broadcast isn’t starting, and you’ll just stare at that still image. In a similar situation, many platforms would display a warning message stating that your access is restricted. Surprisingly, RTVE does not appear to have such a system.
Aside from the RTVE’s policy, this issue is called geo-restriction and I am here to help you resolve it.
Watch RTVE outside Spain via VPN
Instead of wasting time staring at that still image, let’s work together to solve this problem with a few simple procedures.
As previously stated, VPNs are useful tools for improving our online security and circumventing online restrictions. We can obtain an IP address of a country by connecting to a VPN server there.
Platforms, on the other hand, analyze the IP addresses of their visitors, and if a visitor does not have an IP address from a specific territory, her access is restricted.
After everything I’ve said, the answer should be obvious, right? Because we need a Spanish IP address to access RTVE, we should connect to a VPN server in Spain. Only by connecting to a VPN server in Spanis data centers we can get ourselves a Spanish IP address and circumvent RTVE geo-restriction.
Choosing the best VPN for RTVE
We have arrived at what is possibly the most important part of the article. There are numerous VPN services available on the market, both free and paid. However, we are looking for VPN services with servers located in Spanish data centers. We can eliminate free VPN services based on this criterion because the majority of them only have servers in specific regions. Furthermore, because their servers are frequently overloaded, it is impossible to enjoy a high-quality streaming experience.
When we look at professional VPN providers, we see that there are quite a few on the market that has a large number of servers in Spanish data centers and can unblock the RTVE embargo.
SurfShark is one of my favorite professional VPN providers thanks to its cutting-edge servers and streaming expertise. The company has servers in Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia in Spain. I’ll explain what you need to do in the following sections using the SurfShark example.
To make use of this service, follow the steps below:
- Visit SurfShark’s official website.
- Choose a plan and fill out the purchase form. (to grab the %80 discount deal, make sure to choose a longer period)
- Make a purchase using your preferred payment method.
When your payment is complete, your login information will be emailed to you. This procedure could take a few minutes.
VPN app installation
Next, you’ll need to install the SurfShark app on the device you plan to use the service.
- Visit SurfShark’s home page once more.
- In the upper left corner of the page, click the “Log in“ button and enter your credentials.
- Download and install the VPN app that is compatible with your device by going to the “Apps and Extensions” tab in the menu.
Note: To ensure that your SurfShark application is installed properly, please follow the on-screen instructions. Make sure to give the SurfShark VPN app all of the permissions it needs to work properly.
Connecting to the Spain server
If you’ve followed the instructions up to this point, the VPN service you just subscribed to should be up and running. To watch RTVE without restrictions, there is only one thing left: connect to one of SurfShark’s Spain servers.
- On your device, launch the SurfShark app.
- In the app interface, select the “Locations” menu.
- Enter “Spain” in the search bar and connect to the available servers from Madrid, Barcelona, or Valencia.
I preferred to connect the Madrid server here. Once the connection is established, you can watch your favorite RTVE content from anywhere in the world.
Streaming RTVE
Let’s try watching RTVE again now that we have our Spanish IP address.
- Check that you are connected to the SurfShark Spain server.
- Visit RTVE play and choose the channel that airs your favorite content.
I chose a UEFA Nations League game as an example.
UEFA Nations League matches are one of the geo-restricted events. You can use the method described above to watch any other sporting event, such as the FIFA World Cup 2022, UEFA Euro 2024, and so on.
RTVE VPNs (3 working alternatives)
Finding a fast and affordable VPN service that can unblock the platform we want to watch can be a challenge. Furthermore, the platforms are adamant about blocking VPN providers and are constantly developing new methods. As a result, there is always the possibility that SurfShark will no longer be able to circumvent RTVE’s limitations.
To ensure that your streaming experience is not hindered, I’ve listed three alternative VPNs with Spain servers capable of unblocking RTVE’s geo-restriction. You can also be assured that they will provide the speed performance required for an uninterrupted and high-quality streaming experience.
Let’s check our options and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each.
AtlasVPN
Today I’d like to make a change and put a relatively new VPN provider at the top of my list. AtlasVPN may be unfamiliar to you if you are accustomed to the VPN market. However, it is NordVPN’s sister company and a good choice if you want to use streaming services.
AtlasVPN is currently active in 43 countries with over 750 servers, and Spain is one of them. AtlasVPN can be relied on for both online privacy and streaming.
Being the new kid on the block is difficult, but it also has some advantages. AtlasVPN’s servers are not overloaded due to the number of users. This allows us to get fast performance from Spain servers. AtlasVPN’s Madrid server provided me with a download speed of 77.31 Mbps. As you may be aware, we can watch any content at the highest quality with such speed.
The best part comes next. AtlasVPN believes that offering low-cost services is the best way to break into the market. A single AtlasVPN account allows for an unlimited number of simultaneous connections and costs just $2.05 per month.
ExpressVPN
If you’ve ever read any of our articles on the site, you’ve probably come across the ExpressVPN brand. ExpressVPN, one of the market’s most established VPN providers, is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands.
ExpressVPN has thousands of virtual and private servers in 94 countries, covering almost every corner of the globe. The company has servers in Madrid and Barcelona in Spain.
My most recent speed test resulted in a download speed of 81.02 Mbps with ExpressVPN’s Madrid server. With such a fast connection, you can watch RTVE from anywhere in the world in high quality.
Regrettably, ExpressVPN is significantly more expensive than its competitors. But nevertheless, if you want to use the company’s premium service, a single ExpressVPN account allows for 5 simultaneous connections, and the basic plan costs $6.67 per month.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost is a VPN service located in Romania. The firm currently operates over 9000 servers in 91 countries, with Spain being one of them.
CyberGhost’s Spain servers, like SurfShark’s, are located in Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. With CyberGhost’s high-speed servers, you may enjoy uninterrupted streaming. Furthermore, Cyberghost operates approximately 200+ dedicated VPN servers in Spanish data centers, and as a result, I obtained 84.56 Mbps download speed from the Madrid server.
Finally, CyberGhost has a reasonable pricing policy. With a single account, you can use the service on up to seven different devices simultaneously, and it only costs $2.25 per month. In addition, if you are dissatisfied with CyberGhost, you can get a full refund within 45 days.
Summing up the RTVE streaming
All streaming platforms, including RTVE, are bound by the copyright and licensing agreements and can broadcast their content only in specific territories. Everything is normal while you are in Spain, but when you try to access RTVE from outside of Spain, you will encounter geo-restriction.
Platforms impose such restrictions based on your IP address. So, if you want to watch RTVE, you’ll need a Spanish IP address. As we discovered, the simplest way to get one is to use a reputable VPN service. Furthermore, who doesn’t want an extra layer of security when surfing the web?
Whatever your reason for being abroad, by using a VPN service, you can watch RTVE from anywhere in the world. This way, you won’t miss out on your favorite on-demand content or essential FIFA World Cup 2022 games.
I’ve been a translator for many years. During this time, geo-restriction has always been the most problematic issue in the many countries I’ve visited. I’m here to tell you about my experience.