Masters snooker live stream 2021: how to watch every frame online from anywhere

Nearly all of the world's best snooker players are back in action at the Marshall Arena in Buckinghamshire this week for the 2021 Masters - the second Grand Slam event of the current season and one of the most respected tournaments on the calendar. Read on as we explain how to a watch Masters snooker live stream online today from anywhere on earth - including for free in the UK thanks to the BBC and its easy-to-use iPlayer streaming service.

The obvious highlight of the round 1 Masters snooker schedule is Wednesday's meeting between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ding Junhui. It's a genuine clash of the titans that's now even more intriguing, as the winner will go through knowing that current world No. 1 and former winner Judd Trump has had to withdraw from the tournament after testing positive for Covid-19, along with Jack Lisowski. 

Trump won the event in 2019, while Stuart Bingham is the reigning champion - though he's far from fancied to repeat, entering as the world No. 12, having had a low-key season up until now. Bingham begins his title defence against the Speed King, Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, who's never played in the Masters before.

With Judd ruled out, world No. 2 Neil Robertson is now co-favourite for the tournament - The Thunder from Down Under looking as good as ever in his recent his UK Championship, claiming the season's first Triple Crown. The other one? That would be The Rocket, aka Ronnie O'Sullivan, who's won the tournament a record seven times.

 All of the matches are best of 11 frames, apart from the final, which is best of 19 frames. It's one of the most prestigious tournaments in snooker, so scroll down to find out how to get a 2021 Masters Snooker live stream for FREE!

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How to watch a FREE Masters snooker live stream in the UK

The BBC has UK-based snooker fans covered from round 1 right the way to the 2021 Masters snooker final.

You can catch the Masters snooker every day from January 10-17 on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four and through the Red Button.

If you're not in front of a television, then the BBC's iPlayer streaming service and BBC Sport website are the ways to tune in. All options are completely FREE to watch for anyone located in the UK. You should have a valid TV license, but assuming that's the case, signing up for an account couldn't be easier and you'll be watching snooker online in no time at all.

The BBC's coverage of the afternoon sessions starts at 1pm GMT each day, and its evening session coverage gets started at 7pm and stretches to 11pm every night.

Even if you're abroad right now, you can enjoy the coverage you would at home with the help of great VPN - try our #1 pick ExpressVPN and get 3-months FREE . 

• Related: here are all the best BBC iPlayer VPNs

How to watch a 2021 Masters snooker live stream from abroad 

If you're not in the UK this week and find the BBC's coverage unavailable where you are, then there are still many ways to watch a Masters snooker live stream.

Scroll down to see various international viewing options, but if it's geo-blocking that's stopping you from getting your snooker live stream fired up, then we think we can help. 

The solution to this and many other common internet grievances comes in the form of a VPN - a handy bit of software that lets you relocate the IP address of your device to practically anywhere in the world. It's the best way we know of to take your favourite streaming services and content away with you on holiday or business.

Here's our top pick and how to get started.

Use a VPN to live stream snooker from anywhere

ExpressVPN is the world's top VPN right now
We've taken the time to try out all the biggest VPN providers and we found ExpressVPN to be the pick of the bunch. It works with lots of devices and offers super fast connections across its many servers. 

Throw in its robust set of security features and ExpressVPN is the best all-round VPN for streaming - and perhaps best of all, it has a 30-day money back guarantee plus 3 months FREE when you subscribe for a year.

Access ExpressVPN via your laptop, iPhone, tablet, Android phone, PlayStation, Xbox and plenty more. Express is a do-it-all service that also benefits from 24/7 customer support.

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How to watch 2021 Masters snooker: live stream all the action in the US

International sports streaming service DAZN (pronounced 'Da Zone') has the rights to show big snooker tournaments in many of its markets - including the US and the 2021 Masters.

Coverage is available every day and DAZN US is a contract-free service that costs just $19.99 a month - or you can save nearly $140 by getting a $99 one-off annual subscription.

DAZN's US website is a bit boxing heavy at the moment, so know that you can find the full DAZN schedule here and that coverage of Masters snooker starts at 8am ET/5am PT most days for the first session and that the second one follows.

Plus, DAZN US subscribers can watch the service from almost anywhere in the world - all that's necessary is a top-quality VPN. Our latest January 2021 testing shows that DAZN US plays nice with Virtual Private Networks, so you should be able to tune in if you're away from home.

How to watch Masters snooker: live stream 2021 tournament in China

Snooker is huge in China - and the nation typically pins its hopes on 2011 Masters winner Ding Junhui, the current world No. 9. 

Fans based in China can watch the 2021 Masters Snooker on CCTV 5, with the afternoon sessions starting at 9pm CST each day, and the evening sessions getting underway at 3am.

If there are any internet-related obstacles in your way or if you want to access your preferred feed from outside of China, then don't forget about the powers of a VPN, which can help you watch all the snooker action no matter where you are.

• Related: all of the best VPNs for China

Snooker live stream 2021: how to watch Masters snooker online in New Zealand

The official broadcaster for the Masters Snooker in New Zealand is Sky Sport, which costs $31.99 per month and includes channels dedicated to football, rugby, cricket and golf. 

It's a schedule that calls for copious amounts of coffee and sugar though, with coverage of the afternoon sessions starting at 2am NZDT, and the evening sessions beginning at 8am. 

For mobile streaming, you can tune in via the Sky Go app, and if you're away from New Zealand right now you can use a VPN to catch your home TV coverage.

Where else can I watch a Masters snooker live stream today?

We've searched far and wide for additional ways to watch snooker online this week - and there's one more useful option for getting a Masters snooker live stream in 2021.

In many European countries, Eurosport Player is offering coverage. The streaming service is affordable at just €6.99 a month and is widely compatible with an app available for iOS, Android, Mac, PC, Apple TV, AirPlay, Chromecast, select Samsung Tizen OS TVs, nVidia Shield TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Xbox One and PS4 consoles.

Unfortunately, we couldn't find an option for Australia, so Neil Robertson fans Down Under are out of luck - at least at this early stage of the tournament. Things might change as we get down to the business end of things.

That said, anyone in Australia from a country where it is possible to watch a Masters snooker live stream can access the same coverage they would enjoy at home - you just need to download a VPN as described above. Our testing shows that sites like Europlayer Sport are accessible to subscribers who might be abroad using such software, so it's something to consider if you're a snooker fanatic.

Where is 2021 Masters snooker being played?

The snooker Masters usually takes place at Alexandra Palace in London, but it's been moved to Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes. The venue and dystopian town it calls home have become very familiar to snooker fans and players over recent months. 

Never afraid to speak his mind, Ronnie O'Sullivan has been particularly critical of the arrangement - as would most people confined to a glorified conference centre in MK for an extended period of time.

Fan attendance is a thing of the past once more for the Triple Crown event, too, but that won't stop you from watching every frame at home - and means you don't have even contemplate a trip to Milton Keynes!

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