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Get Hulu Plus, Netflix, ESPN and more on your Australian Xbox One and PS4

You’d pay for things rather than pirate them, right? Australia has the biggest piracy numbers in all the world, but that’s most likely due to the fact that we don’t get the same access to content as, say, the United States.

Until now.

Australians are taking advantage of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu Plus and ESPN to watch content in a timely, cheap fashion, and you can too. Here’s how to set up your current-gen devices to access a world of entertainment.

Step one: Get Unblock-us

Unblock-us is a non-contract subscription service that allows your internet traffic to go through their DNS… actually, look. You really don’t need to understand how it works so much, just that it will allow you to appear as a US-based internet user. Or, a Canadian one on Netflix. Or, Mexican. Or… well, we’re sure you get the idea.

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You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of Unblock-us and tie the service to one product — your Xbox One, your iPhone, etc — or instead tie it to your internet router, meaning every device on your home network will benefit. The service costs $5 USD per month after the trial if you choose to keep using it.

Step two: Set up Unblock-us on your router or current-gen device

We’d highly recommend setting up Unblock-us on your router, as it’s one change that will power every device you’ve got.

Once you’ve signed up, log into your router and change its DNS primary server to 111.118.175.56. If you can change your secondary DNS server, put it to 118.127.33.48. Finally, if you can change a third, set it to 208.123.23.23.

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If you’d rather set up Unblock-us on your Xbox One, head to Settings > Network > Advanced Settings and change your DNS entries to 111.118.175.56 and 118.127.33.48.

Alternatively, you can set up your PS4 by goign to Settings > Network > Set Up Internet ConnectionCustom and enter settings until you can change DNS records to  111.118.175.56 and 118.127.33.48.

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Instructions on how to set up other devices, including last-gen consoles and super-specific router models, can be found here.

Step three: Sign up for Netflix, Hulu Plus and other apps

Now that your devices can run Netflix, Hulu and apps like ESPN, you still need to sign up for said services. The first step to do this is to head online.

Netflix.com is where to head for a trial 30-day Netflix account. You’ll be required to use a credit card — Australian cards work just fine — and you’ll have to fake an American address. If stuck for a postcode, use our favourite: 90210. After your trial ends, you’ll be charged $7.99 USD per month until you cancel.

Hulu.com will give you a week 7-day trial of Hulu Plus. Like Netflix, you’ll be required to use a credit card — Australian cards work just fine — and you’ll have to fake an American address. If stuck for a postcode, use our favourite: 90210. After your trial ends, you’ll be charged $7.99 USD per month until you cancel.

If you’re a sports fan, we also recommend signing up for WatchESPN, a service that will provide you with sports highlight reels and access to ESPN3 on your console. You won’t get other ESPN channels unless you can prove you’ve got ESPN via cable subscription in the USA. We can’t have it all, eh?

Step four: Getting Netflix, Hulu Plus and ESPN apps on Xbox One

Getting access to Netflix, Hulu Plus and ESPN on Xbox One is super easy. Head to Settings > System > Language & Location and set your Xbox to English and United States. You’ll need to restart your Xbox One after the change.

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This will allow you to access the USA Xbox Games Store where you can search for, download and install Netflix, Hulu Plus and ESPN. You can head back to settings and switch back to Australian settings — again, requiring a restart — once you’re done.

Step four… too: Getting Netflix, Hulu Plus and ESPN apps on PS4

Access on PS4 is a little more difficult. You’ll have to create a new, American PS account — head here to do so — and then log in to that account on your PS4. Doing so will give you access to the American store, where you can search for, download and install Netflix, Hulu Plus and more. You don’t need to be logged in to the American account to use the apps, but you’ll need to keep the account on your PS4 nonetheless.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between apps?

In terms of streaming content, generally Netflix has more movies and Hulu Plus has more — and newer — television shows. Over two months of usage, this writer personally feels that both services are required to watch anything you can basically think of. Unblock-us does allow you to log into your account and set different Netflix regions as well, meaning you may be able to access content in the Canadian Netflix that’s not on the American Netflix.

There’s always a trade-off; Hulu Plus features ads between normal commercial breaks in their television shows.

As we’ve also mentioned, the ESPN app will only allow you access to highlight reels and ESPN3 unless you can convince it you’ve got a cable subscription service in the USA.

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What about Australian apps like Tenplay or Quickflix?

They’ll still work and be accessed using your normal Xbox gamertag or PSN account. Relax. They’re pretty crappy services, though.

How does this affect my internet quota?

As Netflix and Hulu are both streaming services, you will notice that usage will affect the amount of data you’re downloading. Pick an internet plan accordingly. This writer uses iiNet as his ISP, and can also report that Xbox One game data is still considered freezone and doesn’t count towards a monthly quota. Using Netflix and Hulu doesn’t count as part of freezone, so be warned.

But I don’t have a current-gen console!

That’s cool — you can still use Unblock-us to set your computer’s DNS to an “American” one and watch Netflix and Hulu Plus through your browser. Smarties will connect their PC to a TV and watch that way.

Is this legal?

We’re not lawyers, so we’re not going to say yes or no. While we’d assume it’s a better alternative than downloading torrents, we’re not about to tell you there aren’t any legal ramifications for choosing to use the information above. In short: do this at your own risk.

Update: You can also try UnoTelly and do the same type of setup. We’ve looked at UnoTelly here.


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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.