"How Netflix Will Deal With Australian (and New Zealand) VPN Users"

Forums › Online streaming services › "How Netflix Will Deal With Australian (and New Zealand) VPN Users"

surfisup1000

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#159747 11-Dec-2014 11:07

Interesting article , mainly in that Netflix are saying it is too hard to block them.

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2014/12/how-netflix-will-deal-with-australian-vpn-users/

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BDFL - Memuneh
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#1195484 11-Dec-2014 11:11

Article reads as the guy writing wants to block things. Netflix guy saying "we don't know exact number of users" is a nice way to say "We don't care, leave them alone, not our problem.".

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deadlyllama

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#1195492 11-Dec-2014 11:18

How are they supposed to block VPN users, anyway? Network-wise, they will appear to be wherever the VPN terminates.

You could lock down payment options. But when they launch in NZ/AU then of course NZ/AU credit cards will be accepted, and using a netflix account paid for in one region, when you are physically in another region, has worked for ages. Turning that off would make lots of people on holiday/work trips/etc angry.

So the real answer is "launch in NZ and AU" at which point they will end up with many users who don't bother with a VPN.

saeran

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#1195500 11-Dec-2014 11:32

They could try block them if they want (by identifying which IPs are run by VPNs and then blocking those) but then it just becomes a game of cat and mouse. By looks, they don't care, and aren't willing to do that.

geekiegeek

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#1195506 11-Dec-2014 11:38

saeran: They could try block them if they want (by identifying which IPs are run by VPNs and then blocking those) but then it just becomes a game of cat and mouse. By looks, they don't care, and aren't willing to do that.

Hulu did this a while back apparently to keep the TV studios happy. Using Astrill VPN it stopped me using a couple of the US endpoints but not all of them. I understand other services just changed IP and all was well again.

Hulu get to look like they are at least trying but its easy to get around so they don't lose all that revenue from overseas users :-)

vexxxboy

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#1195519 11-Dec-2014 12:09

do they care where the people are that are giving them money, as long as people are subscribing.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

wasabi2k

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#1195523 11-Dec-2014 12:25

vexxxboy: do they care where the people are that are giving them money, as long as people are subscribing.

More the studios they license content from...

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shk292

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#1195558 11-Dec-2014 13:36

As I think I posted in another thread, maybe it's time to stop trying to fix a broken model (geo-specific licensing) and instead implement a new model (geo-indpendent licensing).
It sounds like the Netflix interviewee, unlike the interviewer, realises that the internet is here, is global and is not going to go away. Perhaps Netflix are pressuring the studios to move away from regional licensing. How difficult would it be for all content to be licensed "per subscriber"? The distributors - Netflix, Sky, Quickflix etc could then package it with ads etc at their discretion and sell for a price that makes sense to them. The consumers then choose the distribution package that gives them best value for their needs. Everyone is happy - except the "legacy" distributors who cannot compete in a global market (looking at you Sky)

khull

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#1195618 11-Dec-2014 16:10

wasabi2k:
vexxxboy: do they care where the people are that are giving them money, as long as people are subscribing.

More the studios they license content from...

The studios / movie industry are run by a bunch of grey haired men who do not understand how the internet and routing works. Many of them are still stuck on the whole 'physical region' and 'timed releases' and applying that to digital media because they existed in a time where TV and films were black and white (if fortunate enough)

With time, it will change either shifts in leadership or they just die off

old3eyes

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#1195639 11-Dec-2014 16:50

Heres and intersting article from Sony Pictures on Netflix

sony-pictures-mad-at-netflixs-failure-to-block-overseas-vpn-users/

"he latest data leaked from Sony Pictures Entertainment by hackers reveals that Sony executives had accused Netflix of breaching its licensing contract for Sony Pictures Television (SPT) shows by allowing customers in foreign markets to use virtual private networks to stream them, calling it piracy that is “semi-sanctioned by Netflix.”"

What a greedy pack of w#$%ers Sony are..

Regards,

Old3eyes

SepticSceptic

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#1196081 12-Dec-2014 09:51

Sony should invest some hard earned cash into setting up anti-VPN geo-locking services for their Playstation Network, and then on-sell that technique to Netflix and other streamers. They'd make zillion dollars.

If it could be done ....

trig42

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#1196119 12-Dec-2014 10:33

I think Sony needs to worry more about it's own systems than bleating about others.

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Dratsab

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#1196246 12-Dec-2014 13:10

geekiegeek:
saeran: They could try block them if they want (by identifying which IPs are run by VPNs and then blocking those) but then it just becomes a game of cat and mouse. By looks, they don't care, and aren't willing to do that.

Hulu did this a while back apparently to keep the TV studios happy. Using Astrill VPN it stopped me using a couple of the US endpoints but not all of them. I understand other services just changed IP and all was well again.

Hulu get to look like they are at least trying but its easy to get around so they don't lose all that revenue from overseas users :-)

The big problem they struck in the US was that there were a reasonable number of users who use VPN's in their own country for all internet activity because they're worried about being tracked/spied on by their own government. They raised hell about being blocked.

MrJonathanNZ

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#1196286 12-Dec-2014 13:35

shk292: As I think I posted in another thread, maybe it's time to stop trying to fix a broken model (geo-specific licensing) and instead implement a new model (geo-indpendent licensing).
It sounds like the Netflix interviewee, unlike the interviewer, realises that the internet is here, is global and is not going to go away. Perhaps Netflix are pressuring the studios to move away from regional licensing. How difficult would it be for all content to be licensed "per subscriber"? The distributors - Netflix, Sky, Quickflix etc could then package it with ads etc at their discretion and sell for a price that makes sense to them. The consumers then choose the distribution package that gives them best value for their needs. Everyone is happy - except the "legacy" distributors who cannot compete in a global market (looking at you Sky)

You only need to look at console games for the answer to this.
$60 US games selling in NZ for sometimes over $100 NZD.
They want geo blocking so they can charge the maximum that each region is willing to pay.

JimmyH

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#1196616 12-Dec-2014 21:28

SepticSceptic: Sony should invest some hard earned cash into setting up anti-VPN geo-locking services for their Playstation Network, and then on-sell that technique to Netflix and other streamers. They'd make zillion dollars.

If it could be done ....

Why would Netflix want to spend money purchasing a system just so it is then able to reduce its number of paying customers?

n0exit

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#1197213 14-Dec-2014 12:36

Netflix spent $9 billion on content last year. So while Sony and others might send angry emails to make themselves feel better they're not going to turn down the cash. That money comes with the caveat that Netflix isn't going to turn away paying customers. Studios know this and they accept it because monetising their library is getting harder and harder. Also, in the not to distant future Netflix will be one of the largest purchasers or original content produced by none other than these "upset" studios.

Next year Netflix is going to release the second (only to HBO's GoT) most expensive television production ever. Something about hands that feed you comes to mind.

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