Netflix vows to block Canadians from its U.S. site
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Will Netflix stop blocking content?
By Syd Bolton
First posted: Wednesday, January 27, 2016 04:28 PM EST | Updated: Wednesday, January 27, 2016 04:57 PM EST
There has been a lot of talk recently about Netflix cracking down on so-called location blockers, meaning users who access the library of films and TV shows from countries other than their own could face difficulty getting at that content in the future.
It’s a a silent war that has been raging between users that want to squeeze out the most possible value in their Netflix memberships and the content providers who license their content by region. Stuck in the middle, it would appear, is Netflix itself.
In Canada, Netflix is often considered to be the anemic relative of its much brighter and healthier cousin in the United States. Netflix uses geolocation technology to determine where you are connecting from and provides you with the appropriate content based on that location. By using a service, such as Blockless, you can trick Netflix into believing you are actually located in the United States (or many other countries for that matter). When you do that, you have a completely different library of viewing options open to you.
Netflix isn’t the only service that “geoblocks” users from content. In the United States, Hulu is to television shows what Netflix is to movies (although Netflix is offering more television series these days, as Hulu seems to be adding more movies). Both services have been blocking content by region for some time now and, recently, both have been cracking down on the services that allow users to circumvent their location.
What this all boils down to is a service provider that is caught in the middle. Netflix is enjoying an influx of customers based upon the ability to get a lot of value for under $10 a month, while content providers are crying foul over them accessing content they shouldn’t. Users have some new options in Canada with both CraveTV and Shomi now offering content for users in Canada, without requiring an existing television subscription.
Netflix has made statements that imply the company would like this whole geoblocking issue to go away with content becoming available to everyone but it have to try keep everyone happy. It is stuck in a balancing act between keeping customers happy with the service over upholding the license agreements it has with the content providers.
The other issue at play here is the possible loss of jobs with companies that have stepped up to provide location changing services. Using these services is not technically illegal but they may, as is the case of Netflix, void the terms of use contract you've agreed to. However, these are legitimate services that could and likely will start to lose customers at an alarming rate if licensing becomes a global thing.
It’s hard not to look back at why this entire situation exists in the first place. In Canada, many of the CRTC laws surrounding content (which Netflix seems to evade anyway by the way) are out of date. Content providers controlled geographical areas of licensing in order to maximize and control advertising revenue in regional areas. Global distribution via the Internet was not around at the time these contracts and ideas were put into place, so licensing should change along with it. Of course, there is going to be a transition period but in the end it is just making it more difficult for customers.
Studies have shown (and have been backed up by own personal experience) that Canadians will pay for legally accessing content if it is reasonably priced and easy to implement. The more barriers, the more users will turn to piracy or more questionable practices to obtain said content. Perhaps one day soon the content providers will realize that they will be able to charge more for their content when service providers have more subscribers, and can spend more time delivering great content to users instead of playing monkey in the middle.
Syd Bolton is the curator of the Personal Computer Museum and the manager of Information Technology at ACIC/Methapharm. You can reach him via e-mail at sbolton@bfree.on.ca or on Twitter @sydbolton.
Will Netflix stop blocking content? | News | Tech | Toronto Sun
By Syd Bolton
First posted: Wednesday, January 27, 2016 04:28 PM EST | Updated: Wednesday, January 27, 2016 04:57 PM EST
There has been a lot of talk recently about Netflix cracking down on so-called location blockers, meaning users who access the library of films and TV shows from countries other than their own could face difficulty getting at that content in the future.
It’s a a silent war that has been raging between users that want to squeeze out the most possible value in their Netflix memberships and the content providers who license their content by region. Stuck in the middle, it would appear, is Netflix itself.
In Canada, Netflix is often considered to be the anemic relative of its much brighter and healthier cousin in the United States. Netflix uses geolocation technology to determine where you are connecting from and provides you with the appropriate content based on that location. By using a service, such as Blockless, you can trick Netflix into believing you are actually located in the United States (or many other countries for that matter). When you do that, you have a completely different library of viewing options open to you.
Netflix isn’t the only service that “geoblocks” users from content. In the United States, Hulu is to television shows what Netflix is to movies (although Netflix is offering more television series these days, as Hulu seems to be adding more movies). Both services have been blocking content by region for some time now and, recently, both have been cracking down on the services that allow users to circumvent their location.
What this all boils down to is a service provider that is caught in the middle. Netflix is enjoying an influx of customers based upon the ability to get a lot of value for under $10 a month, while content providers are crying foul over them accessing content they shouldn’t. Users have some new options in Canada with both CraveTV and Shomi now offering content for users in Canada, without requiring an existing television subscription.
Netflix has made statements that imply the company would like this whole geoblocking issue to go away with content becoming available to everyone but it have to try keep everyone happy. It is stuck in a balancing act between keeping customers happy with the service over upholding the license agreements it has with the content providers.
The other issue at play here is the possible loss of jobs with companies that have stepped up to provide location changing services. Using these services is not technically illegal but they may, as is the case of Netflix, void the terms of use contract you've agreed to. However, these are legitimate services that could and likely will start to lose customers at an alarming rate if licensing becomes a global thing.
It’s hard not to look back at why this entire situation exists in the first place. In Canada, many of the CRTC laws surrounding content (which Netflix seems to evade anyway by the way) are out of date. Content providers controlled geographical areas of licensing in order to maximize and control advertising revenue in regional areas. Global distribution via the Internet was not around at the time these contracts and ideas were put into place, so licensing should change along with it. Of course, there is going to be a transition period but in the end it is just making it more difficult for customers.
Studies have shown (and have been backed up by own personal experience) that Canadians will pay for legally accessing content if it is reasonably priced and easy to implement. The more barriers, the more users will turn to piracy or more questionable practices to obtain said content. Perhaps one day soon the content providers will realize that they will be able to charge more for their content when service providers have more subscribers, and can spend more time delivering great content to users instead of playing monkey in the middle.
Syd Bolton is the curator of the Personal Computer Museum and the manager of Information Technology at ACIC/Methapharm. You can reach him via e-mail at sbolton@bfree.on.ca or on Twitter @sydbolton.
Will Netflix stop blocking content? | News | Tech | Toronto Sun
Netflix drops tech-bomb on Canadian VPN users
By Jim Slotek, Postmedia Network
First posted: Sunday, April 17, 2016 01:36 PM EDT | Updated: Sunday, April 17, 2016 01:40 PM EDT
It appears Netflix has dropped a tech-bomb on millions of Canadians who use VPNs to stream its U.S. service — rescuing Mary Ann Turcke’s daughter, and many of the rest of us, from a life of crime.
Turcke is the Bell Media president who last year publicly snitched on her 15-year-old daughter for using a virtual private network (VPN) to access U.S. Netflix for movies and TV shows not available on Canadian Netflix.
“We have to get engaged and tell people they are stealing,” she said at the time.
Netflix announced in a blog post in January that it would be employing new high-tech methods to stymie VPNs and other side-doors to the “geo-blocking” of programming.
The movies and TV shows illegally streamed are generally not licensed by Netflix in Canada.
And by all accounts, Netflix was not bluffing.
One of the larger for-pay VPN services, Unblock-Us.com, seems to have had its access U.S. Netflix crippled. Its Twitter feed is an endless stream of posts like “Sorry, we are a few days behind, but we are working as fast as we can around the clock,” and, “If you would like a refund, please let support know and they can help.”
And according to posts in the Reddit-based board NetFlixByProxy, people using all sorts of VPNs are receiving the notice “Proxy Detected — Access to America Denied” and headers like “Anybody know how they are blocking us?” Others on the board are warning not to mention VPNs that are still functioning, fearing Netflix is monitoring such comments and will target offenders accordingly.
One Toronto-based digital professional, who preferred his name not be used, confirmed to the Sun he subscribes to UnBlock-Us.com and that he has lately been unable to access American Netflix with it.
“It sounds like Netflix will triumph, which sucks for me,” he said. He said he has been using a VPN to access Netflix and other geo-blocked U.S. streaming services like Hulu because “it makes cutting the (cable) cord that much less painful.”
How many Canadians are affected by the techno-attack on VPNs is unclear. But about 40% of English-speaking Canadians have Netflix subscriptions, according to Media Technology Monitor. And of them, about a third admit to having accessed the American version.
Contacted this week by Canadian Press, Netflix offered no comment on the current state of its VPN war, beyond what was announced in January.
One ironic example of Netflix’s protectionism is Degrassi: Next Class, the new reboot series that followed Degrassi: The Next Generation. The various Degrassi school series were created in Canada and have been filmed here for 36 years.
First Class is available on U.S. Netflix and on Netflix around the world — but not yet on the Canadian version. It’s currently being shown here on the pay-cable Family Channel, which means its fans need a cable subscription and then pay extra for Family. Next Class will run on Canadian Netflix when its run on Family finishes.
Degrassi creator Linda Schuyler acknowledges that VPNs are very much an issue involving young people like Turcke’s daughter.
“Kids don’t have landlines, they don’t have cable,” she said. “The whole idea of ‘appointment viewing’ is completely alien to them. If they want to watch it, they want to watch it now — in their time and in their space.”
The fact that Degrassi signed a deal with Netflix was partly driven by the show’s cast, she said. “Two or three years ago, the kids (on Next Generation) were saying to us, ‘Why aren’t we on Netflix? Why are we on these old-fashioned broadcasters?’”
Degrassi is known for tackling contemporary teen issues from body issues to cyber-bullying. But Schuyler said they’ve never dealt with teens’ predilection for getting free stuff off the Internet.
Asked how the issue might get treated if they wrote a Degrassi episode around it, she laughed and said, “You’ve stumped me.
“Obviously, we can’t encourage illegal actions, so I guess we would have to take some sort of moral stance on it. It’s a complicated issue.”
SHOWS AND MOVIES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON U.S. NETFLIX BUT NOT ON CANADA’S:
Alias, Ally McBeal, Amadeus, American Horror Story, Animaniacs, Antisocial (Canadian movie), Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Atonement, August: Osage County, The Barbarian Invasions (Canadian movie), Being Human (U.S. version), The Bernie Mac Show, Bill Nye, The Science Guy, Bob’s Burgers, Bonnie & Clyde Burn Notice, Californication, Cheers, Chuck, Criminal Minds, CSI, Damages, Darkman, Dude, Where’s My Car?, eXistenZ (Canadian movie), Flashpoint (Canadian series), The Following, Gossip Girl, Haven, Hoodwinked, The Incredible Hulk, Inglourious Basterds, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Kill Bill Vols. 1&2, The League, The Legend Of Drunken Master, Louie, The L Word, M*A*S*H, My Name Is Earl, NCIS, One Tree Hill, Parks and Recreation, Rules Of Engagement, The Shawshank Redemption, Sliders, Snowpiercer, Sons Of Anarchy, Star Trek (all series), Talladega Nights, Team America World Police, The West Wing, When Jews Were Funny (Canadian documentary feature), Y Tu Mama Tambien.
jslotek@postmedia.com
Netflix drops tech-bomb on Canadian VPN users | News | Tech | Toronto Sun
By Jim Slotek, Postmedia Network
First posted: Sunday, April 17, 2016 01:36 PM EDT | Updated: Sunday, April 17, 2016 01:40 PM EDT
It appears Netflix has dropped a tech-bomb on millions of Canadians who use VPNs to stream its U.S. service — rescuing Mary Ann Turcke’s daughter, and many of the rest of us, from a life of crime.
Turcke is the Bell Media president who last year publicly snitched on her 15-year-old daughter for using a virtual private network (VPN) to access U.S. Netflix for movies and TV shows not available on Canadian Netflix.
“We have to get engaged and tell people they are stealing,” she said at the time.
Netflix announced in a blog post in January that it would be employing new high-tech methods to stymie VPNs and other side-doors to the “geo-blocking” of programming.
The movies and TV shows illegally streamed are generally not licensed by Netflix in Canada.
And by all accounts, Netflix was not bluffing.
One of the larger for-pay VPN services, Unblock-Us.com, seems to have had its access U.S. Netflix crippled. Its Twitter feed is an endless stream of posts like “Sorry, we are a few days behind, but we are working as fast as we can around the clock,” and, “If you would like a refund, please let support know and they can help.”
And according to posts in the Reddit-based board NetFlixByProxy, people using all sorts of VPNs are receiving the notice “Proxy Detected — Access to America Denied” and headers like “Anybody know how they are blocking us?” Others on the board are warning not to mention VPNs that are still functioning, fearing Netflix is monitoring such comments and will target offenders accordingly.
One Toronto-based digital professional, who preferred his name not be used, confirmed to the Sun he subscribes to UnBlock-Us.com and that he has lately been unable to access American Netflix with it.
“It sounds like Netflix will triumph, which sucks for me,” he said. He said he has been using a VPN to access Netflix and other geo-blocked U.S. streaming services like Hulu because “it makes cutting the (cable) cord that much less painful.”
How many Canadians are affected by the techno-attack on VPNs is unclear. But about 40% of English-speaking Canadians have Netflix subscriptions, according to Media Technology Monitor. And of them, about a third admit to having accessed the American version.
Contacted this week by Canadian Press, Netflix offered no comment on the current state of its VPN war, beyond what was announced in January.
One ironic example of Netflix’s protectionism is Degrassi: Next Class, the new reboot series that followed Degrassi: The Next Generation. The various Degrassi school series were created in Canada and have been filmed here for 36 years.
First Class is available on U.S. Netflix and on Netflix around the world — but not yet on the Canadian version. It’s currently being shown here on the pay-cable Family Channel, which means its fans need a cable subscription and then pay extra for Family. Next Class will run on Canadian Netflix when its run on Family finishes.
Degrassi creator Linda Schuyler acknowledges that VPNs are very much an issue involving young people like Turcke’s daughter.
“Kids don’t have landlines, they don’t have cable,” she said. “The whole idea of ‘appointment viewing’ is completely alien to them. If they want to watch it, they want to watch it now — in their time and in their space.”
The fact that Degrassi signed a deal with Netflix was partly driven by the show’s cast, she said. “Two or three years ago, the kids (on Next Generation) were saying to us, ‘Why aren’t we on Netflix? Why are we on these old-fashioned broadcasters?’”
Degrassi is known for tackling contemporary teen issues from body issues to cyber-bullying. But Schuyler said they’ve never dealt with teens’ predilection for getting free stuff off the Internet.
Asked how the issue might get treated if they wrote a Degrassi episode around it, she laughed and said, “You’ve stumped me.
“Obviously, we can’t encourage illegal actions, so I guess we would have to take some sort of moral stance on it. It’s a complicated issue.”
SHOWS AND MOVIES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON U.S. NETFLIX BUT NOT ON CANADA’S:
Alias, Ally McBeal, Amadeus, American Horror Story, Animaniacs, Antisocial (Canadian movie), Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Atonement, August: Osage County, The Barbarian Invasions (Canadian movie), Being Human (U.S. version), The Bernie Mac Show, Bill Nye, The Science Guy, Bob’s Burgers, Bonnie & Clyde Burn Notice, Californication, Cheers, Chuck, Criminal Minds, CSI, Damages, Darkman, Dude, Where’s My Car?, eXistenZ (Canadian movie), Flashpoint (Canadian series), The Following, Gossip Girl, Haven, Hoodwinked, The Incredible Hulk, Inglourious Basterds, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Kill Bill Vols. 1&2, The League, The Legend Of Drunken Master, Louie, The L Word, M*A*S*H, My Name Is Earl, NCIS, One Tree Hill, Parks and Recreation, Rules Of Engagement, The Shawshank Redemption, Sliders, Snowpiercer, Sons Of Anarchy, Star Trek (all series), Talladega Nights, Team America World Police, The West Wing, When Jews Were Funny (Canadian documentary feature), Y Tu Mama Tambien.
jslotek@postmedia.com
Netflix drops tech-bomb on Canadian VPN users | News | Tech | Toronto Sun
The whole point is that Netflix should negotiate the rights to show these programs in other countries, not just the US. The ball is 100% in Netflix' court. If Netflix doesn't have the right to show the programs in other countries, then it has to prevent subscribers in those other countries from seeing the shows.
Seems to me the solution is for the 1/3 of the 40% to cancel their Netflix subscription. This is clearly what Netfix is going for as it is the only reason they should care.