Netflix subscribers (or friends of subscribers) have been able to utilize a virtual private network (VPN) or proxy service to gain access to content in other countries. Unfortunately, the movie and TV streaming service announced today that it will soon block those services so that viewers will only have access to movies and shows that are licensed for the country they're currently in.
The company's aim is to make content universal across the 190 countries it services, but who knows if that's really feasible. Take Better Call Saul for instance. The Breaking Bad spin-off runs on AMC in the United States, but is presented as a "Netflix Original" in the UK. The second season of Better Call Saul hits U.S. airwaves February 15th, with the premiere hitting Netflix in the UK a day later.
At this juncture, Netflix would have to make a pretty sweet deal for AMC to let any or all of the 5.9 million weekly viewers last season wait an extra day to watch the show commercial-free.
What this could mean is that Netflix will focus on its own content while eliminating choices with regional conflicts, so its catalog would be available worldwide without having to worry about licensing agreements and rights and all that. If Netflix is committed to stopping VPN and proxy users, the best way to do so would be to make it literally pointless to use the services.
But one thing to keep in mind is the old adage, "when there's a will, there's a way." And when it comes to bypassing imposed restrictions, the will is usually up to task. Only time will tell if other workarounds come to fruition, but if/when they do, we'll have you covered.
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3 Comments
This is gonna be a clusterfuck. I live in the UK but access the BBC content Netflix has, via a VPN, because it's only available to American users. I also know of friends out in California, that access American content via Netflix UK, using a VPN. If the plan is to have a singular library, for the whole world, it's going to be a vastly reduced library.
Also, for a company that has been caught up in the net neutrality wars, this seems like a dick move. Can anyone think of a reason why they want to go this route? Maybe as a way of cosying up to other studios/content producers? Showing they're willing to play by the old rules?
It's about money. The foreign distributors are seeing their profits shrink. The next thing you know, they'll try to bring lawsuits against individual users who are violating the licensing agreements. A lot of people, I know, who will be in a bind, are going to cancel their NetFlix subscriptions. That's about money, too.
I don't think they can track VPN, they will just looks as if a paid subscriber is visiting from a permitted region. It becomes quite tricky, lets take an example if Netflix blocks VPN server's IP addresses, than there is still a way out, world does not end here for VPN users
Read what Mr Ali (Manager Purevpn) has to say about this issue
:Ali says: "If Netflix blocks our server's IP addresses, we are able to replace our server IPs just as readily," Ali says. "And if they have a plan to block the entire network, we are able to replace it in matter of days to get around the blockage."
http://www.wired.com/2016/01/netflixs-vpn-ban-isnt-good-for-anyone-especially-netflix/
Earlier it was said that Hulu is also banning VPN users but yet they fail to do so.
Why not to worry
Here these are the three points to remember.
1) Netflix has previously also threatened to curb VPN practice but hasn't done so.
2) If Netflix goes ahead with this, it will see an unprecedented rise in un subscription from customers, worldwide, as people only use Netflix because they can use their same account to access different libraries, especially when they travel abroad.
3) If they are really firm and goes on ith the same approach than people are more likely to turn to downloading torrents while protecting their real IP address by using a solid VPN service like Purevpn (Which works best for torrenting - p2p)
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