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Back in the day, there used to be a popular shop known as “Blockbuster”. Every Friday people would swarm over to this shop to find the latest movies or TV shows that they could rent and take home to watch. It was one of the biggest businesses in the world, but they have since disappeared into nothing. That’s all because of the rise of streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney Plus. These online streaming services have become the most popular way to watch movies and TV shows because you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your own home. You also don’t have to struggle with a title already being rented out before you got your hands on it — one of the most frustrating parts of renting from Blockbuster back in the day.
With an online streaming service, you can simply scroll through a list of movies and TV shows and find anything that you want to watch. It takes a matter of seconds for the movie to load in the highest quality that your TV can allow, and then you can enjoy it all to yourself. When you’re done, there’s no need to head back to the shop to return the title. On top of that, a Netflix subscription is far cheaper than constantly renting out a movie or TV show, and you have unlimited access to the platform so you can watch whatever you want, whenever you want to.
However, there is one element that has been leaving Netflix users frustrated ever since the platform rose to popularity in recent years — that is geo-blocking restrictions. You may have seen some movie critics talking about how great the latest Netflix movie is, only for the title to be missing from the streaming platform when you go to look for it. As annoying as this might be, these restrictions are in place for good reason — we’ll explore why that is short. But, what you should know is that you can bypass these restrictions if you use some of the best VPNs for Netflix. Keep reading to get all the details on finding brand-new Netflix content that you’ve never seen before.
Why Netflix Content is Different Abroad
If you’ve had Netflix for a while then you might have been through most of the good movies and TV shows that the platform has to offer. But, there is a way that you can access new content on the popular streaming platform — all you need to do is trick Netflix into thinking that you’re accessing it from elsewhere.
The content on Netflix is different depending on the country that you’re accessing the website or app from. Here’s an easy test to see if there’s a movie or TV show that you’re interested in that might not be available in your region. Head over to Google and type in the name of a movie followed by Netflix — for example, “Top Gun Netflix”. The search results will show the movie on Netflix, but when you click on it, the browser will redirect you to the app which will show an error message that states” this content is not available in your region”.
Netflix has to adhere to some strict rules and regulations. Every movie and TV show has licensing and copyright requirements that Netflix needs to keep in mind before they upload the content to their platform. Every country in the world also has its copyright laws and regulations that streaming platforms need to keep in mind. Based on these laws, Netflix can’t stream some of the content on their platform in all countries around the world. That’s why you might find that there’s a movie available on the U.S. version of Netflix, but it’s not available on your version of Netflix.
Netflix uses your IP address to determine your geographical location, so changing your address or the language on the Netflix website won’t make a difference in changing your device’s location. An IP address is a unique string of numbers that is used to identify your device on the internet. Websites use your IP address to send you marketing messages and ads based on your location. That’s why Google can recommend businesses in your local area, or find the nearest gas station for example.
Luckily though, there is a way that you can spoof this location and trick Netflix into thinking that you’re accessing it from another country — allowing you to access brand new content that you’ve never seen on Netflix before.
The Cybersecurity Tool You Need
All you need is a handy cybersecurity tool known as a virtual private network, or VPN for short. VPNs are designed to encrypt your internet connection, which allows the user to browse the internet anonymously. No one can track your internet activity if you’re using a VPN — not even the government or your internet service provider! It’s the ultimate tool for privacy and security online, and it’s ideal for anyone who’s worried about government surveillance or being eavesdropped on by cyber criminals.
VPNs also have secure global servers that are placed in different countries and cities around the world. These servers are the key that you need to access new content on Netflix. When you connect to one of these servers the VPN will hide your real IP address, and by routing your internet traffic through the server, your device will adopt the IP address of the server that you have connected to.
This means that your device will appear as if it was connecting to the internet from the server’s location rather than your physical location. By spoofing your location using a VPN, you can trick Netflix into giving you access to content that is only available in the region where the server is based. For example, if you connect to a VPN server in the U.K. you will have access to content like The Inbetweeners, Sherlock, and other BBC productions.
How to Choose the Perfect VPN
It’s important to keep in mind that you can’t just use any VPN on the market — there are hundreds of different VPNs to choose from! When it comes to unlocking new content on Netflix, you need to make sure that you’re using the right VPN.
Netflix is strict about using a VPN to spoof your location and unblock new content, which is why it’s often difficult to find a VPN that is compatible with Netflix. You need to make sure that you do thorough research and find credible sources for VPN reviews if you want to find one that works with Netflix.
It’s also critical to use a premium VPN as opposed to a free one. Free VPNs come with some serious drawbacks such as slower connection speeds, fewer global servers to choose from, daily bandwidth limitations, intrusive ads, and weaker encryption technology. All of these factors will negatively affect your streaming experience while using Netflix (the VPN needs to constantly run in the background if you want to keep using the platform).
If you’re using a premium VPN you won’t run into any of these problems. Ultimately, premium VPNs are not expensive, and it’s worth the cost when you consider the difficulty and headaches that you’ll run into if you’re using a free VPN.