This would be a dream come true.
The only way to get US Netflix here in Ireland (not that anyone we know has ever done it, *cough*) is to digitally change your virtual private network (VPN) settings to trick your computer into thinking it’s somewhere else in the world.
It’s a tricky workaround that’s as reliable as Ireland’s weather.
Having to change your VPN settings to access content from the US Netflix could be a thing of the past if the streaming service has its way, according to CEO Reed Hastings.
Speaking recently, Hastings confirmed that an unrestricted global Netflix is the company’s goal for the future.
“The VPN thing is a small little asterisk compared to piracy. Piracy is really the problem around the world,” explained Hastings.
“The basic solution is for Netflix to get global and have its content be the same all around the world so there’s no incentive to [use a VPN]. Then we can work on the more important part, which is piracy.
“The key thing about piracy is that some fraction of it is because [users] couldn’t get the content. That part we can fix.
“Some part of piracy however is because they just don’t want to pay. That’s a harder part. As an industry, we need to fix global content.”
While this all sounds like a great idea, Netflix would have to secure some ground-breaking international licensing deals that Hollywood may not want to entertain. You know what those Hollywood types are like.
We’ll have to wait to see what happens…
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