The Real Scoop Why Netflix Blocked VPN Users

Before the internet became what it is today, people had to watch their favorite TV shows and movies by actually waiting for the shows’ premiere dates and catching them on television or by visiting their nearest movie theaters. For those looking to re-watch their favorite shows, they actually had to physically travel to a Blockbuster store to wait in line and rent their shows. Enter today’s world where Netflix exists and people all around the world are becoming monthly subscribers to be able to stream any movie or TV series anytime and anywhere. In January of 2016, Netflix shook the entire online world by announcing that they would begin blocking members who use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to watch certain shows or movies that are inaccessible in their side of the globe. Why is this the case and how can people work around this problem?

Why Netflix is Blocking VPNs

As Netflix has upped its game of blocking users abroad from accessing certain shows via VPN, many members are questioning why they have to do so. Netflix has launched in more than 130 countries since 2016. The manner that they obtained the rights to broadcast shows is through an outdated copyright agreement system, which comes from a period when TV shows and movies were still distributed physically via DVDs. The owners of the media, whether it was Hollywood studios or TV networks, had the potential to earn more profit by selling the same rights to rebroadcast the shows over and over again to different markets in almost all countries. These studios and networks are also currently earning a substantial amount of profit by being able to sell the rights to rebroadcast the shows domestically in the U.S, which translates to 2 streams of profit. Since Netflix does not own the rights to the content, the service has to cave to all the demands of the media owners, which includes blocking VPN users.

How to Work Around Netflix Blocking VPNs

Due to the demands of Hollywood studios and a multitude of TV networks in the U.S, Netflix has been blocking subscribers accessing the American Netflix library using online VPNs. This has worldwide subscribers frustrated as most of their accessible content is now very limited because all foreign Netflix libraries are rather limited in offering content of TV shows, movies, documentaries, and other popular shows. Examples of the limitation can be found in the British library of Netflix lacking ultra-popular comedy the Office U.S version and the smash thriller the Walking Dead. To foreign subscribers, there are a few workarounds that you can utilize in order to access your favorite shows anytime and anywhere. Here are a few of those workarounds.

Setting up Stronger VPNs. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) has been the most popular workaround that subscribers have used to access their favorite shows on Netflix. This method offers the technology to connect to one or more computers via a private network that basically allows internet users to become more anonymous by masking their IP address. Netflix subscribers using a VPN can basically access the American Netflix library by mimicking a U.S IP address that the U.S Netflix accepts, thereby allowing users to stream their favorite shows that are restricted in their respective regions. As Netflix has upped its game at blocking subscribers from using VPNs, providers of this technology have also upped their game by providing stronger VPN services. A good example of a strong VPN service is www.strong-vpn.co., which is a very affordable service that changes your IP address to that of many countries including the U.S.

Smart Domain Name Server Proxy. As the restrictions set on VPNs has made it increasingly difficult to use this technology to access U.S shows on Netflix, subscribers have had to become more resourceful in using other workarounds. Smart DNS Proxy is one of those solutions because unlike a VPN, it does not change an IP address. A DNS is a bridge between users and their computers. It connects the domain and the IP address of people to U.S DNS servers, which essentially allows any non U.S IP address to remain the same and access the U.S Netflix library. The benefits of a user’s IP address remaining the same are faster streaming shows and more secure usage.

Hidden Links. The internet is full of websites that offer hidden links to thousands of shows that are restricted in other regions. These websites are very affordable to subscribe to and offer a viable alternative to using VPNs and Smart DNS Proxy. They also allow subscribers to maintain their IP addresses, which lead to speedier streaming connections as well as secure connections. Best of all they contain tens of thousands TV shows, movies, documentaries, and other types of genres of film that users can access on their laptops, PCs, tablets and other devices. An example of such a website is www.americannetflix.com.

Dedicated IP services. A dedicated IP address, when using a VPN, assigns an anonymous shared IP address to those who use it. The shared IP address is extremely useful since it makes users more anonymous, which allows VPN services to accommodate thousands of users and connect them to streaming services such as Netflix. In addition to this benefit, a dedicated IP service brings about non-immunity, which means users cannot be isolated from using the same shared IP Address that connects to Netflix. About the only disadvantage of using dedicated IP services is they are not free of charge. There are, however, many services that are very affordable, allowing Netflix users to stream all the available shows in the coveted U.S Netflix library.

Just because Netflix is currently blocking VPN users from accessing the American library of shows, all hope is not lost. Use these aforementioned methods and you will surely be able to stream your favorite movies and TV shows from anywhere. You will need to spend a bit more but the pleasure of binge watching will be that much more enjoyable.