This message would have popped up because of the particular program that you were interested in had geo-location restrictions. Netflix, and similar services like Hulu and Amazon Prime, are restrictive by geographic regions. The shows are country-specific and you must be within the jurisdiction of the particular country to watch the available programs. The moment you step over the borders of your native country, your favorite Netflix show may become unavailable.
For example, just because you have a valid Netflix subscription in the USA, it doesn’t mean that you can catch up with your favorite US shows while you are in Brazil (or for that matter India, Australia or Japan). While you will have a new country-specific content library to choose from, the programs that are solely intended to be viewed by the US residents won’t be available in the foreign land.
So How Can You Watch US Netflix Shows While You Are Traveling Internationally?
There is a simple yet effective solution – make use of a VPN service. Netflix detects your location through the IP address of the connecting device. You can use a Virtual Private Network to change your IP address to the country of your preference (in which Netflix is not restricted). It reroutes your internet traffic through the VPN server and the incoming connection to Netflix is established using the server’s IP address. So if you are looking to watch US-specific content, a VPN server located at the USA can do the job for you – no matter which part of the world you are connecting from.
When you watch Netflix with the help of a VPN, the Netflix server would receive the connection request from the VPN server’s IP address. If the VPN server is hosted within the United States, Netflix would assume that you are accessing the content from within the country. So it will show you all the programs that are available to the US residents.
However, there’s a little catch that you must be aware of. Netflix doesn’t like people fooling them around with ingenious methods. Sure, you can catch them off-guard sometimes, but it would be naive to think that they will take the abuse and keep quiet. They are well aware of the VPN bypass that people often utilize. To protect their business interests, Netflix has developed thorough check-point mechanisms to detect VPN traffic. If they manage to catch you hiding behind a VPN service, you will promptly be notified and redirected back to the local homepage of the country that you are visiting.
The VPN services too are aware of the crackdown and try to outsmart Netflix with innovative techniques to go undetected. While some of the VPN providers have dropped the gun against Netflix, others continue to fight.
While Netflix is showing an uncompromising attitude towards the usage of VPN service, it is virtually impossible to block each and every VPN server. If one IP address gets blocked, the VPN provider can always use a new one as a counter-initiative. The loop goes on and people keep on taking advantage of the loopholes.
That said, the right VPN service not only helps you in accessing Netflix but also keeps your connection safe and secure. Since a VPN service directs your traffic through a secured tunnel, it prevents the unauthorized third-party users from accessing your personal details, trespassing your connection, spying on your internet history and stealing your confidential information.
This way, a VPN service proves to be a win-win deal for you!
The Final Words
Netflix users from all over the globe are using VPN services as a popular response to access geo-blocked content. All that is required from your end is to find out a VPN server which has not been blacklisted by Netflix.
Many Netflix users consider such geo-restrictions as an unnecessary nuisance. As long as you have paid for your subscription, why should it even matter where are you streaming from? This sentiment is perfectly justified to a certain extent. We can only hope that there will be a change of mindset on the part of Netflix and geo-restriction policies would ultimately cease to exist in the near future.
