Geo-blocking – or geo-gating, as the networks prefer to call it – is how content providers such as Hulu, Pandora, NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC etc who are moving their television, radio and music content online, restrict access to their online videos outside the territories where they hold the rights. Anyone outside of the U.S. who has tried to watch a show on Hulu, or outside of the UK who has tried to watch a show on BBC iPlayer, are just two examples.

This content providers can recognize the location of their visitors through their IP address. When you connect to the internet you are assigned an IP address and the IP is assigned by your ISP (internet service provider) that in turn are assigned in block to your ISP. The blocks are assigned to countries and the sites who geoblock use databases to know which country your IP corresponds to.

Don't worry there is a way around this

A VPN allows you to avoid this phenomenon because your VPN provider gives you another IP address. All VPN providers have set of servers located in different countries around the world. Every server contains a certain number of IP addresses. For example, by connecting to a server in New York, a VPN-provider can supply IP addresses coming from New York. Thus, you can browse from Germany with an American IP address and go easily on Hulu.

When you subscribe to a VPN, you have always the choice between several locations. A lot of very interesting American websites use geographical restriction; that’s why most of VPN-providers offer US IP addresses. But you can also find IP addresses coming from Europe or Asia. You can pretend browsing in United Kingdom while you are standing in China. A VPN allows you to bypass geographical frontiers.