You may have already encountered one of the following messages on Youtube (or another online video provider like Hulu, for example) when you want to watch a video:
This video is not available in your country
This video includes content from “this company” who blocked it in your country for copyright reasons
Why are some videos blocked in my country?
The main reason for video blocking is above all a question of copyright, which differs significantly from one country to another, and a desire to limit the distribution of video content to certain countries, hence the introduction of a geo-blocking filter.
Youtube allows publishers to limit the distribution of their videos to countries of their choice.
The BBC replay is, therefore, only available in England by definition. If you want to watch a video on this site while you are abroad, you won’t be able to unless you’re tricky!
Similarly, Fox News videos can only be viewed in the US, and many record companies such as Warner, restrict the distribution of music videos in the United States.
Unfortunately, you are therefore limited in your viewing by choice of editors, but here are some tips to help you get around the limitations of Youtube and other online video players.
How to unlock a blocked video in my country?
There are different ways to unlock content that is not available for your country: since the location of your computer is via your IP address, the easiest way is to use a method that will change your IP address and make the site believe that you are well located in a country that is allowed to access the content you want to watch.
Different possibilities to unlock your video content:
There are some extensions for your browser that allow you to bypass geographical restrictions such as Proxtube for Mozilla Firefox or Youtube Unblocker for Google Chrome.
Use a proxy: a proxy will allow you to pretend to be a foreign Internet user and therefore bypass the restrictions related to geo-blocking content.
It is possible to use a web proxy or better, configure your browser using a free (or paid) proxy list with a proxy located in the country of origin of the video.
Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network): it is possible to choose your geographical location concerning it, which allows you to access blocked content in Europe. It is useful, for example, if you want to watch a Champions League match not broadcast in your country in free streaming or surf to a safe streaming site. Find more on Virtual Private Networks on this website.
Use the TOR software: this software to install on your computer also allows you to anonymize the origin of connections. The problem with TOR is that basically, you can’t choose the country from where you will finally be connected. Unless you put your hands together to roll up your sleeves and configure TOR to select the country of the IP that will serve as your relay as explained in this topic.
Feel free to share with us your solutions to bypass the restrictions of Youtube in commentary!