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.
Dates: Sunday, January 10 - Sunday, January 17
Venue: Marshall Arena, England
FREE snooker live stream: BBC iPlayer (UK-only)
Watch anywhere: try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free
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
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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
How to watch 2021 Masters snooker: live stream all the action in the US
How to watch Masters snooker: live stream 2021 tournament in China
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Snooker live stream 2021: how to watch Masters snooker online in New Zealand
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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