It is unclear what exactly caused the shutdowns, be it legal issues, a cyber incident, or some other cause. At the time of writing, all three websites display that same message in simple text form. Millions of online users around the world use free streaming sites like USTVGO (and their respective mobile apps, if applicable) as their go-to for U.S.-based sports content, news, TV series and movies. Many in the online community noted that they only purchased NordVPN subscriptions in order to access USTVGO, which was a prompt from the streamer itself. USTVGO is known to host streaming links to over one hundred channels, including NBC, CBS, ABC, ESPN, FOX, Nickelodeon, and many others. It is — or possibly was — the most popular U.S.-geared free streaming platform operating in grey areas of the law.
Streamers Shocked After Free Streaming Sites Disappear
In addition to the sites, USTVGO’s Discord and Twitter accounts are now offline. According to TorrentFreak, who reached out to USTVGO’s administrator via email, the site’s email servers no longer work or have disappeared. Redditors expressed shock following the shutdown of the widely-viewed USTVGO. With roughly 16 million visits last month, TV streamers flocked to the site for its plethora of US national channel streaming options. As a result, many have reported leaving for popular alternatives like 123TV. Many USTVGO users said that moving to legitimate streaming services wouldn’t be a viable option. “Because other legal branded apps such as Hulu, Fubo TV, and Sling TV offer branded cable channels, but they make you pay like $60+ bucks and that’s expensive,” a Redditor said. “I don’t want to pay $60 or more bucks just to watch live tv,” they added. Complaints of pricing from subscription providers were a common thread. “I pay $55 a month for Sling and $95 for my VZW phone plan which includes Hulu & Disney+ (which I don’t use), and ESPN+ which I do use. All of these services are overpriced. Maybe if they were reasonably priced people wouldn’t have to pirate [expletive],” another user added.
Free Streaming Alternatives
USTVGO is among many sites that tip-toe around legal loopholes by stating they do not host any content, but rather links hosted by third parties. Over the years, USTVGO has received several DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) complaints from major organizations such as MLB, NBCUniversal, Disney, and others. Online users interested in free TV streaming can check out our list of the top 42 streaming sites. While most are geared toward movies, you can still catch free TV on legitimate platforms like Peacock (free plan), Pluto TV and Sling TV Free. If you’re looking to catch American TV shows and movies while traveling abroad, you’ll need to get a U.S. IP address with a VPN like NordVPN or Surfshark.
