If you often read articles about Netflix, you’re probably familiar with VPNs. Pretty much all those articles mention them at least once, calling them the ideal “Netflix unblockers.”
But what exactly does that mean? If you use a VPN, will you be able to watch more content on Netflix? If yes, how does that even work, and which VPN should you use?
We’ll do our best to answer all those questions (and more) in this quick five-minute guide.
So Will a VPN Let You Watch More Content on Netflix?
Tl;dr – yes, you can watch more movies and TV series on Netflix if you use a VPN.
If you want to know why, it’s because VPNs let you bypass Netflix’s geo-blocking system. If you’re not sure what that is, it’s how the site controls what you can and can’t watch. Basically, when you visit Netflix, it checks what your IP is, sees what country you are from, and redirects you to the content library matching your geo-location.
When you use a VPN, Netflix can’t see that information anymore. All your traffic is routed through a VPN server which acts as a middleman between you and Netflix. Due to that, the website will only see the VPN server’s IP address and geo-location, like so:
If you use a VPN server in a country that has more Netflix titles (like the US, Canada, or the UK), you’ll get access to more content. It’s as simple as that.
How to Pick a Good Netflix VPN
You can’t just use any VPN on the market to unblock Netflix. The site can actually detect most VPN IPs. When it does that, it blocks them. If you try to visit Netflix with a blacklisted VPN IP, you’ll just end up on the Netflix proxy error page.
To avoid that, you need to use a VPN that refreshes its IPs very often. But that’s not all – you also need a VPN with easy-to-use apps, unlimited bandwidth, high speeds, and lots of servers. Otherwise, you won’t get an enjoyable streaming experience.
Finding a VPN like that can be tough. There are easily over 100 VPNs on the market. Even if you only check the top providers, you’re still looking at 20-25 VPNs.
Luckily, there’s a simple shortcut – StreamCatcher. It’s an online tool from ProPrivacy that tells you where Netflix titles are available. Besides that, it also recommends the best Netflix VPNs on the market. If you use them, you should have no problem unblocking Netflix, getting smooth speeds, and enjoying a very streamlined experience.
How Do You Use a VPN with Netflix?
The whole process is really simple. It only takes four steps, actually:
1. First, subscribe to a good Netflix VPN. Like we just said, you can use StreamCatcher to find one. If you want a quick recommendation, though, we’re always able to unblock Netflix with ExpressVPN.
2. Next, download the right app for your device, and install it.
3. Use the app to connect to a VPN server. Keep in mind the server has to be in a country where the show or movie you want to watch is available (the UK if it’s a UK-only title, for example).
4. Go to Netflix, log into your account, pick your profile, and look up the show/movie. Have fun binging it!
Why Does Netflix Geo-Block Its Content?
It’s due to the way Netflix licenses content. They don’t own most titles you see on their site, so they have to buy licensing rights to stream them on their platform.
The problem is they often can’t get global licensing rights. The copyright holders either aren’t selling them, or other competitors (streaming sites and TV networks) already bought them for specific countries.
There’s also the fact that Netflix first checks its analytics to see if licensing content in certain countries is worth it. If there’s not enough interest for a TV series or movie in one region, they won’t buy licensing rights for it.
It doesn’t sound fair, we know, but please keep in mind that Netflix spends a ton of money on licensed content. So they can’t justify an investment that won’t generate a favorable ROI.
Usually, no. They’re generally available everywhere Netflix is. There are a few exceptions, though. For example, Lilyhammer and Orange Is the New Black aren’t available worldwide.
Why?
Because Netflix only owns the copyright to those shows, not the licensing rights. They actually sold them to other sites and TV networks in various countries when the shows first launched. It sounds like a weird move, but keep in mind Netflix wasn’t available worldwide back then. It made more sense for them financially to just sell the licensing rights.
Unfortunately, now that Netflix is available in those regions, it can’t stream its own content there. They have to buy back the licensing rights first. But that’s not likely to happen since the current rights holders could ask for absurd prices. Plus, Netflix’s data mining might show that their target audiences in those countries aren’t interested in those shows anymore.
Will Netflix Ban You If You Use a VPN?
No, that probably won’t happen. Granted, their ToS does use wording which might make you believe they’ll ban your account. But we have yet to hear of someone losing their Netflix account because they were caught using a VPN.
The only thing that will happen if Netflix sees that you’re using a VPN is you’ll land on the Netflix proxy error page. But that won’t trigger an account ban or anything like that.
Do You Use Netflix VPNs?
If you do, how many extra movies and TV series were you able to unblock? Also, which VPN do you use, and did you ever encounter any issues?
Please tell us about your experience in the comments below.
