Locals call WOWOW the HBO of Japan, and the comparison sticks. Since 1984 this premium satellite broadcaster has poured its budget into bold original dramas, theatrical premieres and live concerts, then topped it off with sport you rarely find elsewhere, from all four tennis Grand Slams to European football. Watching WOWOW from outside Japan, though, runs into a wall: the service is sold to Japanese viewers only, and sign-up even asks for a Japanese phone number and payment card.
Try to stream from outside Japan and you hit an unsupported-network error before a single frame loads. The fix is ExpressVPN: connect to a Japanese server and the platform reads you as a viewer back in Tokyo, so the library opens up. You still need a valid Japanese account, but after that the dramas, tennis and concerts play whether you are settled abroad or back in the country on a work trip, right up to 1080p.
WOWOW actively blocks VPNs. Only certain providers reliably bypass the detection.
| VPN Service | Price | WOWOW | Tested | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 ExpressVPNBEST | From $2.79/mo | ✓ Works | July 6 | Try it |
 NordVPN | From $2.99/mo | ✓ Works | July 4 | Open |
 Surfshark | From $1.78/mo | ✓ Works | July 6 | Open |
 IPVanish | From $2.19/mo | ✓ Works | July 2 | Open |
 ProtonVPN | From $3.59/mo | ~ Partial | June 30 | Open |
 Private Internet Access | From $1.79/mo | ~ Partial | July 4 | Open |
 CyberGhost | From $1.75/mo | ~ Partial | July 5 | Open |
✓ Works✓ Works✓ Works✓ Works~ Partial~ Partial~ PartialTakes about 2 minutes. Works on your phone, tablet, TV, PC, or laptop.
WOWOW is only available in Japan. To access it from anywhere else, use a premium VPN.
WOWOW is blocked in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada and in New Zealand, plus in 188 more countries. To access it, use a premium VPN like ExpressVPN.
WOWOW is a Japanese premium broadcaster that has been Japan’s first subscription-based satellite channel since 1991, gradually adding a full streaming service on top of its linear distribution. Its catalogue spans exclusive Japanese drama and film, theatrical premieres, filmed stage productions, world-class live concerts (WOWOW notably covers the finals of the tennis Grand Slams) and homegrown originals often compared to HBO in terms of editorial ambition. The service is available in Japan only.
5 tips from our WOWOW testing team · Updated June 18, 2026
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