5 Reasons Content Providers Implement Geo-Blocks

The enforcement of geo-blocks on websites and blog pages is subject to review.

Content streaming sites limit the viewing of content because of copyright agreements. Service providers restrict content access to adhere to the laws in their jurisdictions.

Every content provider has a justifiable reason for adding geo-blocks to their sites. The following are the five key reasons content providers and copyright holders implement geo-blocks.

Why Are There So Many Geo-Blocks?

When you send a request for a resource from a website, it accesses your IP address to determine your location.

If the connection request is from a blocked country, the website will display an error. Suppose the site has a reserved page for your region. It will redirect your connection request to that page. Websites don’t only rely on your IP address to determine your location.

Websites also check your Bluetooth/Wi-Fi MAC address, Wi-Fi connection location, and device’s GPS.

1. Copyright Agreements

Content streaming sites like Hulu and Netflix don’t produce all the content they broadcast. The content uploaded on their websites is under copyright agreements.

Streaming websites have limited rights to the content they display and broadcast. The copyright holders are the ultimate deciders; they choose the audience permitted to access the content.

Some copyright holders want their content broadcasted to certain countries only. And so, the streaming sites must honor the copyright agreement. Sharing the content with countries that aren’t within the agreement is a breach of contract. To avoid infringements, streaming sites impose geo-blocks on such content.

2. Licensing Rights

Every country has regulations for content streaming and copyrights. The government uses these rules to hold content providers and copyright holders accountable.

Countries require content providers to purchase licensing rights to implement the practices properly. A copyright holder and content provider must pay for the licensing rights to operate in a country.

They must also pay country-specific taxes and other costs, which can add up to a hefty amount. Therefore, some copyright holders only share their content with countries where they can afford the licensing rights.

3. Legal Requirements and Purposes

Governments and businesses can also use geo-restrictions in line with legal requirements. A good example is in the UK, where they geo-block TV content. The UK government runs BBC and therefore has ultimate control on what to censor and what to show.

Businesses use geo-censorships on their content in line with national and international laws. In countries that have banned online gambling, casinos and sportsbooks must impose geo-restrictions.

That’s to stay in line with the existing country laws blocking residents from accessing gambling content.

4. Market and Price Segmentation

E-commerce businesses tend to price products differently from country to country. These pricing discriminations are often a result of the law of demand and supply.

When companies notice fewer clients in a particular country, they lower the prices to attract more buyers. They’ll then raise the prices once they attract a large enough following in such a geo-location.

In addition, airlines and e-commerce businesses use price segmentation to increase profits. It’s a way to divide the world into different market segments. To ensure clients only access product pricing per their location, airlines and e-commerce business operators apply geo-restrictions on their websites.

5. Blackouts

Geo-censorship is a widely used technique in the US for blackout purposes. Blackout is a technique association, companies, sports leagues, and national networks use to geo-block content access.

There are many reasons institutions and organizations install blackout rules on an activity or event.

For sporting events, sports leagues limit event streaming to cities or towns where the users can’t access the live event. Geo-censor laws may be enacted when the responsible copyright holders haven’t sanctioned distribution rights.

For business events, copyright holders may block international media from broadcasting the content, particularly when the local press has exclusive access to cover the occasion.

To securely access geo-censored events and matches, use IPRoyal.com instead of 911. re. One engages in shady behavior, while the other doesn’t.

Conclusion

Geo-censorships limit what content users within a specific jurisdiction can access. It may not seem legally right to the target audience, but copyright holders and content providers have to follow the laws of the land. When you get geo-block errors as you try accessing news, TV shows, or anything at all, search for the best and most secure proxies. They’re the best tool to overcome these restrictions.

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