Content & Catalog
What to watch on ThreeNow?
661+
Total titles
Content TypesMovies · Series · Live TV · Live Sport · Documentaries · News · Originals
Broadcast VODWorks with VPNUpdated September 14, 2026
Reviewed by Alena Bolcikova · Affiliate DisclosureOur website contains affiliate links. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you.
How to Watch ThreeNow from Anywhere: VPN Guide 2026
Six channels, 661 shows on demand and a bill of exactly nothing: that is the deal New Zealand viewers get from Sky Free, the Sky Network Television subsidiary that took over the Three channels in August 2025. The obstacle for anyone sitting in the US is geography rather than money. ThreeNow in the US refuses to load, because the player checks your IP address first and the operator’s terms state plainly that content may be geo-blocked so it is not available beyond New Zealand.
A VPN removes that wall. Pick a Surfshark server in Auckland, create the free account the service requires, and the whole library opens: all six channels, Three, eden, Bravo, Rush, HGTV and Sky Open, streaming live at the same time they air on television, plus round-the-clock themed channels built around reality, true crime and property shows. We ran ThreeNow through all seven VPNs we recommend in September 2026 and every one of them got through.
661+
Total titles
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Country
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VPNs work
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Ready in
Quick answer
Can I watch ThreeNow outside New Zealand?
No. The New Zealand service only admits viewers on a local IP address, so an American connection lands on a country-restriction error instead of the player. The fix is Surfshark with a New Zealand server: switch your location, sign up for the free account and ThreeNow behaves exactly as it does in Auckland. Watching costs nothing because advertising pays for it. Your VPN is a separate expense you cover yourself.
VPN Compatibility
Best VPN for ThreeNow
Tested weekly by our team. Green: works, amber: partial, red: blocked.
| VPN Service | Price | ThreeNow | Tested | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SurfsharkBEST | From $1.78/mo | ✓ Works | September 13 | Try it |
 ExpressVPN | From $2.79/mo | ✓ Works | September 14 | Open |
 NordVPN | From $2.99/mo | ✓ Works | September 13 | Open |
 Private Internet Access | From $1.79/mo | ✓ Works | September 12 | Open |
 CyberGhost | From $1.75/mo | ✓ Works | September 12 | Open |
 IPVanish | From $2.19/mo | ✓ Works | September 14 | Open |
 ProtonVPN | From $3.59/mo | ✓ Works | September 10 | Open |
✓ WorksTested September 13
✓ WorksTested September 14
✓ WorksTested September 13
✓ WorksTested September 12
✓ WorksTested September 12
✓ WorksTested September 14
✓ WorksTested September 10
Tested on September 14, 2026 · 7 VPNs, 7 working · residential IP from New Zealand · ThreeNow updates detection continuously, results may change.
Streaming service blocking your VPN? Just disconnect and hop onto a different server in the same country. Stick to the ones labeled “streaming” or “optimized” because they’re literally built for this.
How-to
How to Unblock ThreeNow with a VPN
Takes about 2 minutes. Works on your phone, tablet, TV, PC, or laptop.
- Pick a VPN that holds upGo with Surfshark. It runs fast servers in New Zealand and handled ThreeNow without a stumble in our September test. Plans start at $1.78 a month.Longer commitments land far below the rolling monthly rate.
- Connect to a New Zealand serverChoose New Zealand in the VPN app, ideally an Auckland node. Run any IP checker before you move on and confirm the address you show the world is genuinely a Kiwi one.
- Open ThreeNow and registerLoad the service in your browser. Nothing plays until you sign in, but the account is free and needs only an email address and a password.
- Pick a channel or a titleThe top row switches between the channels Three, eden, Bravo, Rush, HGTV and Sky Open, and every one of the six can be watched live as it airs on television, while the on-demand catalog sits below. It plays on a phone just as happily as on a TV.
Ready to watch ThreeNow without borders?
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Availability
Which countries is ThreeNow available in?
ThreeNow is only available in New Zealand. To access it from anywhere else, use a premium VPN.
Available in 1 country No VPN needed
Blocked in 193 countries VPN required
United StatesUnited KingdomAustraliaCanadaIrelandGermanyFranceJapanIndiaNetherlandsSouth AfricaBrazil
Show all 181 more countries
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British Virgin Islands
BruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCongoCongo (DRC)Costa RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFijiFinlandGabonGambiaGeorgiaGhanaGreeceGrenadaGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHungaryIcelandIndonesiaIranIraqIsraelItalyJamaicaJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorth KoreaNorth MacedoniaNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSão Tomé and PríncipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUAEUgandaUkraineUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamYemenZambiaZimbabweThreeNow is blocked in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada and in Ireland, plus in 188 more countries. To access it, use a premium VPN like Surfshark.
Available
Blocked / unavailable
Last tested: September 7, 2026
Steer clear of free VPNs. Most of them actually collect and sell your data, lack proper security audits, and can even expose you to malware. They’re also useless for streaming. Platforms block them instantly, leaving you with more headaches than solutions. Stick to paid VPNs with verified audits, like Surfshark, if you want something that actually works.
About the platform
Who’s behind the service?
What is ThreeNow
ThreeNow is a free, ad-supported New Zealand streaming service run by Sky Free Limited, and what defines it is the shape of its catalog. As of 8 September 2026 the library held 661 titles, led by 367 from Three, 103 from eden, 70 from HGTV, 61 from Rush, 40 from Bravo and 20 from Sky Open. Documentary and factual programming dominates with 205 shows, followed by 142 reality series, 95 dramas, 59 movies and 38 comedies, plus 75 locally made New Zealand productions and 10 titles in te reo Māori. True crime and paranormal strands run deep, and motorsport fans get MotoGP, NASCAR, SailGP and Auckland FC. Watching costs nothing, but an account is required and the library is locked to New Zealand.
Company and history
Previously known as
TV3 On Demand3Now
Major changes
- MediaWorks moved the old TV3 On Demand archive into a standalone app called 3Now, giving New Zealand viewers catch-up programming from TV3 beyond the broadcaster’s own website for the first time.
- TV3 was renamed Three and its catch-up service became ThreeNow, with an address of its own. That is the brand the platform still trades under, and the main channel still supplies most of its shows.
- The New Zealand companies register recorded the operator changing its name from MediaWorks TV Limited to Discovery NZ Limited, moving the channels and the streaming service under American ownership.
- Newshub aired its final bulletin on 5 July and ThreeNews took the evening slot on Three the very next night, produced by the publisher Stuff and posted to the stream shortly after broadcast.
- Sky Network Television completed its purchase of Three and ThreeNow from Warner Bros. Discovery for a single New Zealand dollar. Discovery NZ Limited was renamed Sky Free Limited on the same day.
- Sky announced that the Sky Open channel would also be watchable inside the free service, initially to widen coverage of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. The channel stayed on, bringing the Friday night Super Rugby Pacific match with it.
- Sky confirmed the entire 2026 SailGP season would stream live and free on the platform, with the Auckland regatta on 14 and 15 February simulcast on the Three channel as well.
- Sky, the exclusive New Zealand broadcaster of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, announced Three and ThreeNow as the free-to-air destination for them, including a daily simulcast of the dedicated Gold Channel.
- Sky reported revenue of NZ$826.1 million for its 2026 financial year, up nine percent, and credited the jump largely to the Sky Free acquisition that brought in Three and ThreeNow.
Trust signals
Still can’t open ThreeNow where you are?
Connect Surfshark, pick a supported country, and you’re streaming ThreeNow in minutes, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Devices & Quality
Watch on all your devices
Supported devices
Video quality
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UX features
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Insider Tips
Tips & tricks you should know
5 tips from our ThreeNow testing team · Updated September 7, 2026
- ThreeNow has no paid tier at all, only a mandatory free account, so any page asking for card details to unlock it is not ThreeNow.
- SailGP races go out live on ThreeNow, while the Three channel carries only the delayed replay the next day at 4.30pm.
- Ryan Bridge TODAY streams live inside ThreeNow from 7am to 9am on weekdays, so morning news no longer needs a separate news site.
- When nothing appeals, open the themed live channels instead: reality, true crime and paranormal run around the clock with no episode picking.
- From overseas the site bounces you straight to a region error page, so connect Surfshark to a New Zealand server before signing in.
Alternatives
Other services you can watch
Not the right fit? Here are services in the same category you can compare.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before you start watching ThreeNow.
Nothing. The New Zealand service carries no subscription, no tiers and no trial period; advertising before and during each show pays for the whole operation, and the account is free too. The only line item you actually pay for around ThreeNow is the VPN, because the player will not start without a New Zealand IP address. That is a separate service with its own pricing.
The operator’s terms state that content may be geo-blocked and may not be available beyond New Zealand. In practice an American connection hits a country-restriction page and the video never starts. Surfshark with an Auckland server solves it: once your location switches, ThreeNow behaves exactly the way it does for the local audience, the live streams of all six channels included.
Yes. Nothing on the website or in the app plays until you create an account and sign in. Registration for ThreeNow is free and asks only for an email address and a password. Sign up after you connect to a New Zealand server so the form does not reject you on location.
Browsers on desktop, iOS and Android apps, Android TV, Samsung smart TVs and the SmartVU and Dish TV boxes. Amazon Fire TV Stick works, and so does casting through Chromecast. From the US the easiest route into ThreeNow is a desktop browser, where you simply start Surfshark and skip the app-store complications entirely.
As of September 2026 the library held 661 shows. Most come from the main Three channel, the rest from eden, HGTV, Rush, Bravo and Sky Open. Factual series, reality and drama dominate, and local New Zealand production is strong: 7 Days, The Hui, David Lomas Investigates. ThreeNow also carries films, among them Fight Club and Bohemian Rhapsody.
In our testing, yes. In September 2026 we opened ThreeNow through all seven networks we recommend on this site and every one of them got through, Surfshark included. The player decides on your IP address, so the only thing that matters is whether your provider holds a stable New Zealand address for the whole session. Connect to an Auckland node first, then hit play.
Because app stores filter their catalogs by the country on your account, not by your IP address, and a VPN changes nothing there. Either switch your App Store or Google Play account region to New Zealand, or simply stay with the browser player, which does everything the app does and needs no installation at all.
The full 2026 SailGP season runs live and free, and the Auckland regatta was simulcast on the Three channel. The Sky Open channel brought the Friday night Super Rugby Pacific match into ThreeNow from February 2026. MotoGP and NASCAR are not archive material either, both follow their current 2026 seasons and MotoGP is free to watch including qualifying. Auckland FC turns up in the documentary series Forever Auckland FC, and the Glasgow Commonwealth Games ran through the platform in July and August 2026.
Sky Network Television, based in Auckland, since 1 August 2025. The operating company is Sky Free Limited, previously Discovery NZ Limited and before that MediaWorks TV Limited. Sky paid a single New Zealand dollar for the whole package of the Three channel and ThreeNow, because the deal also handed it a loss-making linear broadcast business.
Closer to Tubi than to Hulu. Like Tubi, ThreeNow has no paid tier at all and runs entirely on advertising, whereas Hulu builds its catalog around subscriptions. The content is a different world, though: New Zealand documentaries, local reality formats, true crime and a nightly domestic news bulletin you will not find on an American service. The interface is English throughout.
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