Looks like the party is over people. It was good while it lasted.
This will probably be the end of services like GetFlix and uFlix (both OzB favourites)
http://au.ign.com/articles/2016/01/14/netflix-intends-to-sto…
Do you reckon that with these new restrictions coming into effect, Netflix still remains the best value streaming service in Australia or will it be worthwhile 'jumping ship' to Stan or Presto once they start enforcing this?
Sounds like typical puffery to me, I'd be shocked; shocked I say; if they actually take any real steps that would remove money from their pockets. ;)
same
they are just "fronting" to been seen as complying and not condoning activities to circumvent geo-blocking
in the end they just want the monies
they could care less whether it is a US or AU subscription
An interesting point that was raised in another forum:
If Netflix are able to implement strong and effective geo-blocking, they could get 3rd party content (i.e. not stuff made by them which is available worldwide anyways) cheaper because the studios will know that only Netflix users in certain countries will be able to view it on their platform.
This could lower the content cost of acquisition for Netflix by quite a significant amount which could end up being better for their bottom line.
Thoughts?
i think the cost saving for this demonstration is overstated and that the studios will squeeze the last drop of the australian market
it also assume that netflix would be bothered to pass the savings onto Australian subscribers (instead of just improving their bottom line)
i have the next year and a bit for free so im fine but ill tell you this i torrent tv shows already, movies not so much.
Hulu & HBO both talked an even tougher line than that. Between 'em, they've banned overseas cr cards, geo-blocked IP addresses for VPNs, and restricted sign-up methods.
Has that stopped people overseas being able to use 'em? No.
Will Netflix be able to do any better? Unlikely.
Countering geo-dodgers is a game of whack-a-mole. They block an IP range, the VPN servers change that IP to something else… and so on.
(Anyone else find it funny how much the copyright cartel loves this "Whack-A-Mole" method of enforcement? Maybe one day they'll bang their heads right through the brick wall they constantly run up against!! :-p)
If websites have different content for different regions then guys like getflix etc will find a workaround.
Only way to really restrict is set the same catalog worldwide ..
This kinda article keeps popping up once every 6 months….
And here I am… using US netflix since 2012.
There is one big difference now and that's Netflix being available pretty much worldwide.
https://media.netflix.com/en/press-releases/netflix-is-now-a…
This means that a lot more people can access content on Netflix that the studios wouldn't want them to based purely on where they are in the world (due to exclusivity arrangements with local TV networks for example).
Do you think its a coincidence that this new crackdown by netflix is announced so close to the day they 'flipped the switch' on their service globally?
I guess Netflix are concerned about losing some (or lots) of their 3rd party content and are trying to preempt that.
Whether they will be successful or not and whether this will drive away a lot of their current and prospective subscribers remains to be seen.
They can't publicly stay quite about Proxy/VPN users accessing their libraries. Specially if you are some hot-shot from a content owner team who keeps emailing them, "hey, you gonna do something about VPN users, right?"
This is that 'step' which Netflix takes. To give some numbers to realize the customer base they will lose if they somehow manage to do this; China alone, which still doesn't have it's own Netflix, had 21.6 million paid subscribers as of Jan 2015 (Stats revealed by GlobalWebIndex).
There are other streaming services which has way more strict regulations about content access, for example, Hulu, HBO Plus, and they still haven't managed to shut down VPN/Proxy etc users.
Here is an interesting development.
CHOICE just announced a campaign inviting people to 'hack' the Netflix GeoBlock and, if successful, tell them how they do it.
http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1965&ea.…
They will then test the method themselves and create a guide for the less 'techie' on how to do that.
Not sure if that's something an organisation like CHOICE are allowed to do and whether they are potentially opening themselves up for some legal action but there is no denying that these people have 'Kahones'
RESPECT!
Or they will list all the 'tutorials' they receive and hand it over to Netflix or other companies to ensure proper geoblocking. Hey…I swear we will give you a lolly if you tell us where you get that joint from…. :)
Highly unlikely with an organisation like CHOICE.
If they do that, then they are FINISHED as an organisation and also as a business (albeit a not-for-profit one).
agreed
choice would not do that
as a business, that would be completely opposite to their "supposedly" moral compass
however this will not stop the studios saying to netflix. "hey we found this tutorial how to get around your geo-blocking, fix it or immediately or else…"
which will end up being the same result as shadowarrior eluded to
Publicly? No ofc they wouldnt. But…
Netflix - 'Hey choice heres 10grand, tell us the list plz?'
Choice - 'Sure! why not'
Then Choice plays dumb.
CHOICE just announced their report on how to circumvent geoblocking by Netflix. IMO the FAQ on its own is worth reading, starting with "Is this legal?" There's a comprehensive matrix of service/browser pairings showing what works and what doesn't.
From their email:
How can you watch international Netflix services? We’ve done the tests to help you out.
We’ve just released our guide to which VPNs and proxys work to let Australian consumers watch US and other international Netflix.
https://www.choice.com.au/electronics-and-technology/interne…
So no coincidence geoblocking sites are all offering these too good be to be true 'lifetime' subscriptions…
Probably was the reason behind lifetime subscriptions, but we knew netflix was going to do this one day and that the geo blocking sites would be unlikely to still be around in 30 years time anyway.
From industry experts, the following is a good summary of what is happening globally on this issue, and most importantly, what can and can't be done by Netflix.
https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-announces-crackdown-on-vpn-…
For the purposes of review, below is the actual email content from the Choice Campaign.
Note the bottomline, this is reason why Choice wants to assist, it is the KEY issue for all Australians.
====Choice Campaign===========
This week, Netflix announced it will join the copyright cabal by more actively blocking Australian subscribers from accessing its international libraries of content. Instead of the around 6000+ titles on US Netflix, paying consumers will be left with the much smaller Australian library.
We won’t let Netflix get away with this bait and switch! Can you help us find a way around the geoblocking wall?
If you can still access overseas Netflix content, tell us what’s working for you. We’ll test your methods in our labs, and use the results to put together a how-to guide for less savvy consumers out there. We know that this information will change constantly, which is why our CHOICE lab team will test circumvention methods and keep our guide up-to-date.
Can you get US Netflix?
We want to access content at a fair price, at the same time as the rest of the world. Netflix shouldn’t be walling us out from paying for the content we want. If you agree, help us get there!
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i pay for unlimited downloads so torrents FTW
Anyone else getting any error messages ? I am getting a message that "You are behind a proxy" ? Please turn off your proxy software to access Netflix.
Netflix has already begun locking out some Australian customers who circumvent its geographical blocks to access content from overseas catalogues, just days after it announced a crackdown on the practice.
Were you using something to get the US service?
getflix seems to already have a fix for it :)
Is there a way to tell which country Netflix is serving up?
my netflix stopped working just now. i was in the middle of season 2 of vampire diaries! how can i get it to work again?
Do you use getflix?
Same here. I have been using my vps server as an 'unblocker'. I tried using socks proxy to my vps and also PIA vpn, none to avail. I wonder how can they detect socks proxy connection, maybe the browser sends some information that it is using a socks proxy?
Well done netflix, you've done a good job detecting proxy connections. I have cancelled my membership.
Don't blame Netflix. We don't. Blame the greedy studios who are forcing them to do this. It doesn't matter anyway, we had a fix available within 24 hours of the first member getting the proxy error. Nothing to worry about, business as usual for us unblockers.
No I don't blame netflix. Hmm I wonder why my private vps was banned but new IPs from unblockers not.. how long before it will get banned again?
@goms: No idea. We are noticing they are doing it in waves. We have already burned multiple ip addresses.
Good luck.
I was using tv unblock.
i have changed to a free trail of unblock us & its working again! who knows for how long!
I can still use US Netflix, I'm with PIA, i know other users have been locked out, how come i can still use it?
Im blocked again using unblockus…anyone which companies have got this problem fixed?
no issue here with using getflix.
apparently the following web address is one way to see where netflix 'thinks' you are
http://api-global.netflix.com/apps/applefuji/config
No issue using dns4me.net
torrenting is cheaper than netflix