How to Watch the US Open Tennis 2026 Abroad
The short answer: you'll need Sky Sports or a NOW Sports membership plus a UK residential IP. The US Open is Sky-exclusive in the UK, and both Sky and NOW geo-block you the moment you travel. A UK residential IP makes your device look like an ordinary British household, so your own subscription streams the tennis abroad much as it would at home.
The 2026 tournament is done — the finals were played on 12 and 13 September. Sky's tennis runs on through the autumn, though, all the way to the ATP Finals in Turin from 15 to 22 November. Here's how it works, and how to be set for the tennis that follows.
When and Where the 2026 US Open Was — and Who Shows It in the UK
The 2026 US Open was played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York. The main draw ran from Sunday 30 August to Sunday 13 September 2026 (qualifying and Fan Week filled the days before), with the women's final on the Saturday and the men's on the closing Sunday.
In the UK, the US Open is shown exclusively by Sky Sports. You can watch through Sky Go or a NOW Sports membership, which carries the Sky Sports channels — both stream over the internet, with no dish required. Either way, the coverage is licensed for the UK, which is where the trouble starts once you leave the country.
Why There's No Free Live Coverage Abroad
Some Grand Slams have a free-to-air home. Wimbledon, for instance, is on the BBC, so abroad you can lean on iPlayer. The US Open is different: there's no free-to-air UK television coverage at all, and Sky Sports is the only place to watch the tennis live.
That means your options abroad come down to your own Sky or NOW subscription — and both check where you are. Open the app overseas and it reads your IP address, sees you're outside the UK, and stops the stream. Reach for a mainstream VPN and you'll usually hit a wall too, because Sky and NOW are among the most determined UK services when it comes to spotting VPNs.
Why a UK Residential IP Is the Fix
The reason ordinary VPNs get caught is the type of IP address they hand you. Most route through commercial data-centre IPs, which broadcasters recognise and block on sight.
Our SmartHub VPN routers connect through genuine UK residential broadband IPs — the same kind of address a real home in Britain uses. To Sky and NOW, your device simply looks like one of those homes, so your subscription streams as normal while the data-centre VPNs get shut out. It's why a residential IP is the connection that gets past the streaming blocks.
How to Watch the US Open Abroad, Step by Step
- Order a pre-configured VPN router from Stream UK TV Abroad — fast UPS Express delivery has you set up within days
- Plug it into your internet abroad — home broadband, 4G/5G or Starlink
- Connect your device to the router's Wi-Fi
- Sign in to your own Sky or NOW subscription and tune in to the tennis
There's nothing to configure and no codes to enter — the router supplies the UK connection, and Sky or NOW does the rest.
The US Open on the Big Screen Abroad
Sky and NOW run on phones, tablets, laptops, streaming sticks and smart TVs, and once they're on the router's Wi-Fi they all share the same UK IP. For a proper big-screen match, the Netgem PLEIO Freely box is a tidy pairing: it runs the NOW app, so you can put the tennis on the telly rather than squinting at a laptop.
The time difference was the awkward part. The US Open ran on US Eastern time, so Sky's coverage landed well into the early hours, UK time — an hour later still across most of Europe, while in Australia a late-night match in New York turned up mid-morning.
That's what catch-up on Sky or NOW is for — you pick up the key matches whenever suits, still behind your UK IP.
One Router, the Whole Household
Because the router provides the UK connection, every device on that network benefits — not just the tennis. While one person catches up on the US Open, others can stream ITVX, BBC iPlayer or their own shows at the same time, on TVs, phones, tablets and consoles, all appearing to be in the UK.
Watching the US Open Abroad: FAQs
Where can I watch the US Open abroad?
On the same services you'd use at home — Sky Sports or a NOW Sports membership; Sky holds the UK rights. Both geo-block you when you travel, so abroad you need a UK residential IP that makes your device look like an ordinary UK household, then simply sign in to your own subscription.
Is the US Open on free-to-air TV?
No. Unlike Wimbledon on the BBC, there's no free-to-air US Open coverage on UK television — it's exclusive to Sky Sports, via Sky Go or a NOW Sports membership. So abroad you'll need Sky or NOW behind a UK IP.
Can I watch the US Open on NOW abroad?
Yes, with a valid NOW Sports membership. NOW carries the Sky Sports channels that show the US Open, so a UK residential IP lets you stream the tennis abroad on any device — no dish required.
Will a normal VPN unblock Sky Sports tennis?
Usually not. Sky and NOW block the data-centre IPs that mainstream VPN apps use. A UK residential IP is a genuine home-broadband address, so the services see a normal UK home instead of a VPN.
Final Thoughts
The US Open is Sky-exclusive in the UK, with no free-to-air TV alternative, so keeping your own Sky or NOW subscription working abroad is the whole game. A UK residential IP lets that subscription stream overseas much as it does at home, on every device on the network.
Order today and UPS Express has you set up and tested well before the ATP Finals in Turin on 15 November — and for every Sky tennis night between now and then.
Went out to Flushing Meadows and staying on in the States? The same router lets you watch UK TV in the USA for the rest of your trip.
