Why Do Streaming Sites Geo Block Their Content?

Streaming sites, like Netflix and Hulu, usually Geo block their content. This means that people who want to access this streaming content from outside the country where it is licensed will be blocked. These blocks can occur for a number of reasons including licensing agreements with other networks or geographic restrictions put on certain pieces of media due to copyright issues.

The first step in figuring out why your favorite show isn’t available where you live is finding out if it’s even offered on the site at all. Many times these sites don’t make an effort to let users know they won’t be able to see specific movies or shows because of the way they are set up. You’re about to watch a video, however, you see a message displayed, “The content is not available in your location.” This article will tell you why this happens.

What exactly Is Geo Block?

Geo-blocking or region-locking is a company restricting the locations where a user can view specific content. Any type of content can be subjected to geo-blocking, for example, articles, websites, however, it’s most prominent on videos. Every streaming website/video service has geo-blocking enabled, it varies on what kind. Even if you’ve never had a content block experience, you might have still experienced some geo-blocking.

Companies can apply geographical filters to countries, states, cities, etc. The implementation differs from service to service. Few may allow you to browse the content, however, they might restrict you from viewing it. Other websites might hide the content entirely, so you won’t know what is available outside your region. Netflix is a prominent example.

The most common reasons for geo-blocking are licensing or can be copyright issues. For many shows, it’s common for a streaming service to hold distribution rights to a few markets and not others. Geo-blocking can also be implemented to segment different markets. Markets may have varying pricing, languages, as well as preferred content. A streaming service tailors an experience to a particular area.

Apps use your IP address, GPS location. OR. Your location settings to determine where you are.

How can you Get Around Geo-blocks?

The most well-known way is to utilize the services of a VPN or “virtual private network.” It’s a service that reroutes your internet traffic through a different, 3rd party IP address located. We have an article that might help you decide between the two well-known VPNs.

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