Using a proxy to watch movies and TV on Netflix that aren't available in your geographic region? You better binge on that restricted content this weekend, because it probably won't be available for much longer.
Netflix on Thursday announced a new effort to crack down on proxies or "unblockers," like VPN services, which allow users to fool the company's systems into thinking they're in a different country and access additional content not available where they live.
"In coming weeks, those using proxies and unblockers will only be able to access the service in the country where they currently are," Netflix's Vice President of Content Delivery Architecture, David Fullagar, wrote in a blog post. "We are confident this change won't impact members not using proxies."
The change comes after Netflix last week at CES announced a huge international expansion that makes the streaming service almost global. Netflix is now available in 190 countries, but the service has a long way to go before it offers the same films and TV series everywhere.
The company currently licenses content by geographic territories, meaning the TV shows and movies available on the service differ, to varying degrees, by region.
"We look forward to offering all of our content everywhere and to consumers being able to enjoy all of Netflix without using a proxy," Fullagar wrote. "That's the goal we will keep pushing towards." But for now, the company will "continue to respect and enforce content licensing by geographic location," he said.
The news comes about a year after reports that Netflix was cracking down on those who used VPN services to bypass content restrictions for their geographical locations. Netflix, however, said that was nothing new. "We use industry standard methods to block VPNs. Always have and always will," a Netflix spokesman said at the time.
In 2013, though, Sony Pictures Television executive Steve Mosko said Netflix does "not closely monitor where some of their subscribers are registering from and don't take steps to counter circumvention websites that allow people in."
Pressure from studio heads likely influenced Netflix's most recent decision. Those studios are likely less inclined to license their content to Netflix if the company cannot ensure that geographic restrictions will be enforced.