Hong Kong Netflix users threaten to cancel subscriptions after streaming site vows to block proxy access to content not available locally
At the moment, web users can watch their favourite shows using virtual private networks
Hong Kong internet users have threatened to cancel their subscriptions with Netflix after the US internet content provider announced that subscribers would no longer be able to use proxies to watch programmes not available in the city.
Hong Kong was among more than 130 countries and territories added to the reach of the video-streaming service last week, but licensing restrictions mean not all shows are available in the city.
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Subscribers often resort to proxies, or servers that facilitate access to internet content not available locally, to watch Netflix’s popular shows such as The Walking Dead and Sherlock.
“If all of our content were globally available, there wouldn’t be a reason for members to use proxies or unblockers,” David Fullagar, Netflix’s vice-president of content delivery architecture, wrote in a blog.
The company said it would clamp down on proxies and unblockers in a few weeks.
“[We] have a way to go before we can offer people the same films and TV series everywhere,” Fullagar wrote.
Hong Kong subscribers, who currently are able to use virtual private network (VPN) providers to access the shows, are far from happy with the news.