TVB Anywhere vs myTV SUPER — don't mix them up
This is what most people confuse: TVB has two streaming products, **completely independent**, **accounts don't cross**, **region limits are opposite**. **myTV SUPER** (mytvsuper.com): faces **Hong Kong local** comprehensive TV service, TVB launched 2016 replacing the old 'myTV.' HK users register with HKID / phone number, most content free with ads, all TVB classics / new dramas / news / variety online + live streams. Bundled with HKT (Hong Kong Telecom) / PCCW local telecom operators, also sells 'Platinum' tier HK$148/mo for ad-free + HD + exclusive content. **Inaccessible outside HK**, opens to 'region not supported.' IP must be HK local ISP (3 HK / HKT / SmarTone / CSL etc.), datacenter IPs fully rejected. **TVB Anywhere** (tvbanywhere.com): faces **overseas Chinese** paid OTT, launched 2016 simultaneously but operated independently. Subscribable in 30+ countries, **not primary in HK itself** (some overseas users returning to HK continue using it, but new HK users typically don't pick TVB Anywhere). Subscription model: US-dollar pricing US$9.99/mo / US$99/year, PayPal / credit card payment. **Core difference**: AF3's tvbanywhere check targets overseas users (REGION_CODES includes 30+ overseas countries); mytvsuper check targets HK IPs — the two REGION_CODES are completely different. User choice: in HK or short-term HK return → myTV SUPER; long-term overseas residence → TVB Anywhere.
Content library — overseas window to 50 years of TVB content
TVB Anywhere's core selling point is TVB's **50+ years of drama + variety + news treasure**, irreplaceable for overseas Chinese (especially Cantonese speakers). **Classic dramas**: Legend of the Condor Heroes (1983 Felix Wong / Barbara Yung version, classic to this day), Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (1982 Kenneth Tsang / 1997 Felix Wong), The Greed of Man (1992 Adam Cheng), The Legendary Swordsman (1996 Jackie Lui), The Duke of Mount Deer (1998 Jordan Chan), A Step into the Past (2001 Louis Koo) — 1980-90s Jin Yong / wuxia dramas are a shared memory for a generation. **Recent classics**: Triumph in the Skies series (2003-2015, aviation drama), Forensic Heroes (2006-, CSI + medical examiner), Heart of Greed (2007 / 2008 / 2017), Line Walker (2014 + film), Barrack O'Karma (2019-, ghost stories), Sinister Beings (2021). **Variety**: Tung Wah Charity Show, Po Leung Kuk Star Night, Super Hanzi, Super Trio, King Maker (2018-, idol talent show, Cantonese version of Produce 101). **News**: TVB News and Public Affairs Department is Hong Kong's largest news organization, with evening news covering HK local + Greater China + international. **Meaning for overseas Chinese**: it's the **world's only legal full-TVB-library channel**; pirate sites (tvbus.tv / dramasq etc.) have mainland / HK-Taiwan pirated resources but unstable + subtitle-less + ad-heavy. Overseas Chinese paying US$9.99/mo mainly for legal + stable + original Cantonese audio.
30+ country subscription matrix — pricing and availability
TVB Anywhere's specific subscribable countries (early 2026, may change): **North America**: US US$9.99/mo, Canada CAD$13.99/mo; **Europe**: UK £8.99/mo, Germany €9.99/mo, France €9.99/mo, Netherlands €9.99/mo, Nordic SEK / NOK / DKK pricing; **Oceania**: Australia AUD$14.99/mo, New Zealand NZD$15.99/mo; **East Asia**: Japan ¥980/mo, Korea ₩11,800/mo, Singapore SG$14.99/mo (early market, dense Chinese population), Malaysia MYR 29.90/mo; **South / SE Asia**: Philippines PHP 399/mo, Indonesia IDR 89,000/mo, Thailand THB 269/mo; **other**: South Africa ZAR 119/mo, Brazil BRL 29.99/mo (recently added). **Excluded**: mainland China (policy choice), Russia (later withdrew), Iran / North Korea (geopolitical blocks). Signup paths: (1) tvbanywhere.com direct (Stripe / PayPal); (2) mobile app via App Store / Google Play (priced by Apple / Google account country). **Per-country payment restrictions**: only accepts that country's credit card / PayPal / local payment (e.g., Japan JCB / Korea KakaoPay / Malaysia FPX); cross-region subscriptions need the corresponding country's payment. **Cross-country switching strategy**: pick **cheapest country** to subscribe (e.g., Indonesia IDR 89,000 ≈ US$6, Philippines PHP 399 ≈ US$7), use AF3's corresponding residential proxy + virtual VCC + corresponding Apple / Google account.
Anti-VPN detection — slightly lenient than myTV SUPER
TVB Anywhere's anti-VPN detection is lenient relative to myTV SUPER (because target users are transnational Chinese with dispersed VPN / IP patterns). Strictness 3★, below HK-local myTV SUPER's 4★. Layered: (1) **IP geolocation** (MaxMind): must be in REGION_CODES 30+ countries, otherwise redirect to block page as non-registered region. (2) **ASN blacklist**: mainly blacklists AWS / Azure / DO / Linode commercial DC IPs, but enforcement lenient (sample-based, not 100% comprehensive). (3) **IP reputation**: some common commercial VPN IPs flagged, but residential pools / niche VPNs mostly pass. (4) **DRM layer** (Widevine L3 suffices, L1 not required): max 1080p playback, no 4K / HDR support. (5) **Account region lock**: registered country is recorded by TVB, frequent cross-country login jumping (>3 countries in a week) triggers account verification — email or SMS verify unlocks (no permanent ban). **Observed success rates**: AF3's recommended residential IPs (US / Canada / UK / Australia etc.) nearly 100% pass; commercial VPN (ExpressVPN / NordVPN / Surfshark) US / UK nodes 70-80% success (some IP pools flagged); Asian commercial VPNs (Singapore / Japan) higher 80-90%. **Playback buffering**: TVB Anywhere's CDN is deployed primarily in Hong Kong + SE Asia + US West; east-coast US / European users face higher CDN origin latency (200-400ms), experience less smooth than Asian regions.
Cantonese / Mandarin / English subtitles — overseas Chinese multilingual demand
TVB Anywhere's overseas-Chinese-friendly feature: **native Cantonese audio + multi-language subtitles**. TVB Hong Kong's main content is originally shot in Cantonese; overseas Chinese have tiered needs: (1) **HK-Macau-Guangdong + North America / Australia Chinese communities** — first-generation immigrants with Cantonese as mother tongue, want Cantonese original only; (2) **Taiwan / mainland background Chinese** — Mandarin primary, want TVB dramas but need Mandarin dub (TVB historically dubbed many classics for mainland market, e.g., Condor Heroes mainland version in Mandarin); (3) **ABC / BBC (American / British Born Chinese)** — weak Chinese listening, need English subtitles. TVB Anywhere's handling: (1) most dramas offer **dual audio: Cantonese original + Mandarin dub** (switchable in player); (2) subtitle options: traditional Chinese / simplified Chinese / English (some new dramas, old dramas may only have traditional); (3) variety generally Cantonese + traditional only, no Mandarin dub (cost). **This is TVB Anywhere's unique edge over other Chinese-language streamers** — Youku / iQiyi / Tencent's TVB dramas mostly only have Mandarin (no Cantonese original), overseas Cantonese-speaking Chinese find them 'flavored off.' For VPN users: language / subtitle choices are player-layer, VPN-independent, all subscribers can use.
AF3's TVB Anywhere node strategy — Asian residential priority
AF3's TVB Anywhere IP scoring: residential 30 (target country residential) / quality_vpn 22 / normal_vpn 15 / datacenter 5 — 3★ strictness, not as tight as Netflix / Disney+ (5★) but stricter than Spotify (3★ lenient on DC). Probe set: (1) main tvbanywhere.com; (2) account api.tvbanywhere.com; (3) playback DRM drm.tvbanywhere.com (Widevine license server); (4) CDN (Akamai Asia-Pacific + Fastly North America + in-house HK DC); (5) live origin live.tvbanywhere.com (some live channels). Node-recommendation logic: (1) **target-country residential** is first principle — to watch US subscription, use US residential; Australian subscription use AU residential; Singapore / Malaysia residential friendliest to Asian CDN; (2) **Asian nodes especially friendly to TVB** — TVB main DC is in HK, Asian CDN node density highest, lowest latency (HK / SG / Tokyo 30-50ms); (3) **European / American users** using NA / EU residential can reach TVB service but CDN origin latency high, more video buffering; (4) **avoid**: mainland China nodes (TVB Anywhere doesn't support mainland, access fully blocked), all datacenter IPs (TVB doesn't aggressively target but playback-auth layer occasionally checks). **Cross-region practice advice**: mainland Chinese users wanting TVB Anywhere must VPN out. Recommended flow: (1) switch to overseas Apple ID (HK / US / Singapore etc.); (2) download TVB Anywhere app; (3) VPN to corresponding country to register + subscribe; (4) keep VPN on daily (target-country IP when opening app, can turn VPN off after playback starts, but cross-country hops trigger verification). Strictness ranking: myTV SUPER (4★, HK residential mandatory) > TVB Anywhere (3★, target country residential) > other Chinese-language streamers.