HBO cuts off its nose to spite its face

Using proxies to access blocked or region-locked content is nothing new. It's a technique that's often associated with piracy, such as using tools to bypass restrictions placed on torrent sites, but it's far from being the only use. Step outside of the US and it's surprising how many well-known services are no longer available.

HBO Now is an example of a service that is not supposed to be available outside of the US, but with the right tool it is. And this is not a case of people freeloading -- people are willing to pay to view the likes of Game of Thrones. Despite coughing up the cash, non-US HBO Now users are being threatened with having their viewing curtailed.

Viewers outside of the US who have turned to proxies or VPNs to access HBO Now have been hit with an email warning them that they are accessing the service "from outside the authorized service area." There then follows the advice that with a response to the email, the recipient risks getting cut off.

This is an interesting move by HBO. Normally it is piracy that is a problem for broadcasters, people downloading shows without parting with a cent. But here we see people willing to pay a monthly subscription to view their favorite shows. These are people who would rather hand over their cash than hit the Pirate Bay -- but HBO is ready to turn them away.

Of course there is the argument that it is only licensed to provide access to content in certain parts of the world, but this just highlights the absurdity of applying terrestrial licensing to the internet. It just doesn't work. In order to comply with the terms of licensing, HBO is turning away customers simply because of where they live. Who is the winner here? Viewers miss out, HBO misses out on revenue, as do the program-makers. Eager fans are driven to illegal downloads, completely negating any benefit of imposing regional restrictions. HBO has enough clout to agree to wider licensing terms -- it's what viewers want, after all.

But will they listen? Will they hell.

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