To survive without entertainment in this busy and tiring world is akin to wasting your life in complete boredom. There are plenty of options for users to stick to their seats and enjoy their favorite content on their apps, whether they are eating, traveling, or indulging in other activities.
This enormous demand from the public has also created tight competition for streaming platforms, enforcing more terms and conditions on the content being streamed.
Nothing comes with ease! Especially if you are a travel geek into streaming content on popular platforms. Nothing irritates you more than seeing the notification on your screen claiming that the particular content is unavailable due to geo-restrictions.
For instance, if you are wondering, is Hulu available in Singapore? Then prepare for the above disclaimer saying it is unavailable in this region. However, we can still access the content on our favorite sites in certain ways. Such as VPNs are pretty handy when it comes to cracking geo-restrictions and banning certain content on a site.
Traveling Across the Border and Wondering Why the Content is Restricted There?
Are you itching with curiosity regarding why some countries restrict streaming apps? Despite paying the subscription charges, what could be why you cannot access your favorite site? These strict rules and policies may sound irrational but do know that it is behaving like your parents, who apparently look stern but are keeping you protected from harmful exposure. So, let’s take a deep insight into all the reasons why countries block users from streaming shows on apps.
Shows Banned Due to Cultural and Political Differences
Some shows and movies are banned in several countries due to cultural differences. Some shows may not seem appropriate to display on screens, as they can negatively influence the people of that particular country.
Similarly, the wrong portrayal of any incident can cause the imposition of a ban on that content. Below are some examples of these shows inflicted with a ban due to the same reason.
M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
M*A*S*H has faced a ban in South Korea, though the series had attracted a huge audience but could not display the right picture of Koreans during the Korean War. The American Army was shown as heroes, while the poor narration of Koreans infuriated the government, ultimately causing the show to be banned.
Sex and the City (1998-2004)
Well, the title of this show can easily irk the cultural sentiments of a country, but in fact, the story itself didn’t have many explicit scenes, but regardless of that, this show had to face a ban in Singapore by its Government. All private stations were prevented from airing this content.
Protecting the Domestic Entertainment Industry
Another significant reason why some particular content is restricted in some countries.
Some countries block the popular streaming sites in their homeland, this ban is not imposed on a particular content, but a whole ban is applied to the streaming platform providing entertaining content to the masses.
The reason is to boost their entertainment industry, as the chances are narrow to grow in the tough competition of the streaming sites, they simply cut their supply of them, paving the way for their local industry to grow and get recognition among the masses.
IQiyi and Youku
IQiyi, also known as Chinese Netflix in China, is a streaming platform in China owned by Tech Giant Baidu. This gained equivalent popularity as Netflix due to its high-quality original media, live sports, and licensed media from different authentic sources.
Upon the competition of his platform and Netflix, the CEO of this platform said that we are striving to make IQiyi more like an online Disney than just a Netflix.
Whereas Youku’s focal point was to serve user-generated media, it later realized the need for a shift and merged with other famous video streaming platforms to generate professional content. It has grasped the hold of more than 70% of viewership in China. What sets this platform apart is the high-quality video production.
Local Laws and Regulations
Some content is labeled as geo-restricted because the particular country or region you have traveled into does not have legal rights to the distribution of certain content. Or if the rights to distribute this show have been sold to another.
This is why you must have noticed that each country has different content to offer from the same platform. This is why streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu have different content libraries available for their users.
Such as, if you search for movie titles in the USA, you would be provided with a wide range of movie collections of up to 4000 films, while the search engine in a different country like Italy would give you a sizable library of content about 2000 films. Isn’t it crazy? This is all because of the different policies applied to content in different countries.
Wrapping Up
Content being shrunken for you due to geo-restrictions if you travel abroad can be a pain in the neck. But it is simultaneously fascinating to see how different countries have something new to offer, as your desired content doesn’t need to be banned in a region. There is a possibility too that you may find a new favorite show of yours!
Either way, it is good to be prepared if you are an avid traveler and use a VPN as a backup plan to encounter restrictions on content.
