Why Netflix has different shows in every country

Compare Netflix in two countries and you’ll find strikingly different libraries — a show that’s front and centre in one place is missing entirely in another. It’s not random, and it’s not Netflix being difficult. It comes down to how film and TV rights are sold.

It’s all about licensing

Streaming services don’t own most of what they show — they license the right to stream it, and those rights are sold country by country. A studio might sell a series to Netflix in one country but to a rival broadcaster in another, so Netflix simply can’t show it there. Multiply that across thousands of titles and you get catalogues that look completely different from one border to the next. Their own original productions are the exception, which is why those tend to be available everywhere.

How your country is decided

Netflix works out which catalogue to show you from your IP address, which reveals your approximate location. That’s why the library changes the moment you travel — your IP changes, so your catalogue changes with it. It’s the same mechanism behind region-based pricing you see on other sites.

How people watch other regions

Because it comes down to your IP, a VPN lets you connect through a server in another country and see that country’s catalogue — or get your home one back when you’re travelling, as in how to watch your home streaming abroad. Pick a server in the country whose library you want, and choose the nearest city to keep speeds up. For a step-by-step, see our Netflix VPN guide.