HULU and Netflix are some of the largest and most successful media streaming players in the United States, boasting content from a consortium of different film studios and TV channels. However, outside of the US HULU is apparently non-existent while Netflix on the other hand offers content that is very specific to your region. That is to say that a person viewing the Netflix site in the USA compared to another streaming from an Asian country does not get access to the same media library.
Of course, you wouldn’t realize this fact because when you visit the Netflix site you will grow accustomed to the same home page and you may never know that people in other countries have access to so many other movies and TV shows. Normally, this is a measure taken by Netflix because of the licensing rights they have with the distributors of their shows. You’ll find that Netflix doesn’t have the rights to show certain programs in certain countries and as such they have created different Netflix sites to serve people in different countries.
Why Can’t I Watch US Netflix and HULU outside of the USA?
The way this system works is that when you visit Netflix site from your device, the Netflix website will be able to tell the country you are streaming from and that way they redirect you to that country’s regional website. The same works for HULU which only allows IP addresses from USA alone. If you try streaming content that isn’t allowed in your country you will always get errors and the process won’t go through. However, there is a way to go around this. In fact, whenever you struggle online streaming, you can use a VPN service to access your favorite shows.
A VPN stands for a Virtual Private Network. This technology was initially developed to allow businesses to communicate between different sites securely and privately. Over time it became significantly easier to use. Using a VPN it is possible to virtually connect to servers in different countries which is a strategy that can be used to hide your real IP address and trick the Netflix or HULU site into thinking that you are streaming from the USA. That means that your browser details are encrypted and you are issued with an IP address for a server in the USA and that way when you connect, you are redirected to the country’s version of Netflix.
Which are the best VPNs to use?
As from 2016, both Netflix and HULU have realized this strategy that many people are using to view content that isn’t available in their country’s versions of the media players. Consequently, they have put up advanced security features to enable them cut down on users of VPNs and block them from accessing the streaming services. However, there are still a number of VPNs that have equally invested on their part to remain untraceable by Netflix’s security systems.
If you do not have a reliable VPN service yet, you can download one from our recommended list of 5 VPNs that can view US Netflix and HUU. These have been able to beat the ban and they are still able to allow users access to the sites to view their favorite shows. We have also put into consideration the streaming speeds and the protection of your privacy and our recommended options are pretty decent in both those areas.
The VPNs that are still reliable for use today are:
- ExpressVPN
- NordVPN
- CyberGhost
- PrivateVPN
- Surfshark
Installation
- The first step is obviously to set up a Netflix account if you do not have one already. It may be tricky when it comes to keying in your credit card details. This is because as an added measure, HULU won’t allow you to use a credit card that isn’t registered in the USA. However, Wal-Mart offers Netflix and HULU gift cards and those will work. You will also have to register using a US-phone number but it is easy to get those online.
- You can then download, install and log into a VPN from our list. We recommend Express VPN as it is the most efficient and simplest to use, but any of these will work.
- From the VPN menu, select a server from the country you’d like to view from.
- When you log into the Netflix website, you will be redirected to the site for the country whose server you are using and all your preferred shows will be available.
Avoid Free VPNs
From our recommended list you will find that many of the VPNs are paid options. We find it safer and more logical to work with such. You may be tempted to go for free VPNs but your privacy with those remains at risk. Normally, VPNs have to invest a lot of resources in order to beat the bans put up by both Netflix and HULU. It therefore makes no sense for them to provide the service for free.
Most of the free VPNs will result to dubious ways to make money and this will work to your disadvantage. Either you’ll find tons of adverts as you stream your shows or even worse they could get your private information and sell it to third parties for profit. To stay safe from such traps, it is best to work with reliable VPNs like the ones we recommended. Remember that when the deal is too good, think twice.
Conclusion
By using our suggested VPNs you will be able to unblock US Netflix and HULU as well as other countries’ versions of Netflix and you should be able to enjoy all your favorite shows. Sometimes you may find that even with the VPNs you still get proxy errors. This is perfectly normal as Netflix is constantly blocking IP addresses that it detects to be using VPNs. To curb this, just go to your VPN’s menu and select a different server in your preferred country. With trial and error, you will be sure to land one that is not blacklisted by Netflix or HULU and you’ll have access to the media library you wish for.
