Netflix ramps up fight against cross-border viewing habits

Streaming giant will roll out strategy for countering VPN, proxy services in coming weeks

Netflix says it is planning to crack down on users who use virtual private networks and proxy services to view content not available in their countries.

Many of the company’s distribution deals with major studios and content providers are negotiated on a regional basis, meaning certain titles are only available to users in certain countries.

Some Canadians use VPN services to stream Netflix movies and TV shows available in the United States, which, according to the website Netflixable, has around twice as many available titles.

The U.S. version of Netflix also features more Hollywood blockbusters and recent seasons of popular network shows than its Canadian counterpart.

In a blog post, David Fullagar, Netflix’s vice-president of content delivery, said the company is making progress in licensing content across borders but is now implementing new measures to end the use of so-called unblockers and other proxy services.

Roughly two in five English-speaking Canadians have a Netflix subscription, with nearly one-third saying they had accessed the U.S. version

The company has always been against the use of such services and has said it takes measures to shut them down, but Fullagar said the company is “evolving” its approach to the problem and the new strategy will be in place in the coming weeks.

According to an April 2015 report by Media Technology Monitor, roughly two in five English-speaking Canadians have a subscription to the video-streaming service, with nearly one-third saying they had accessed the U.S. version.

Meanwhile, Bell Media finally announced that Crave TV, it’s subscription video-on-demand service is now available for all Canadians for $7.99.

The service had previously been only available for Bell subscribers for $4 a month, but will rise to $6 on March 1.