Differences between U.S. and U.K. Netflix versions

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Anyone else notice that there are some quite significant content differences between the U.S. and U.K. versions of Netflix?

 

The good news, though, is at least for U.S. Netflix account holders, you can still access the alternate U.K. version of Netflix simply by connecting via a U.K.-identified VPN connection. Your regular U.S. login ID and password works the same, but the Netflix system recognizes the UK IP address and simply loads the UK version of the service.

 

Why would a U.S. account holder want to do that?  How about, to watch series such as 24, The Shield and others either are not on the U.S. version, or have been removed, such as occurred with 24 when it was moved to Amazon Prime in an exclusive U.S. content deal earlier this spring.

 

However, those TV series and quite a few other good ones I've noticed are still available on the U.K. version of Netflix. Quite a lot of pretty good U.S. theatrical release movies are also available on the U.K. version of Netflix, and aren't on the U.S. version, probably because the U.S. rights holders don't want to make them widely available via streaming in the U.S.

 

All in all, I find myself watching the U.K. version these days more than the U.S. version in order to watch some really great U.S. TV series and movies.

[phetphet]

It's probably something to do with licensing, similar to how they have different world regions on DVD's and Blu Rays. The US probably has the more recent releases.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Not sure on the recency issue... But in terms of quality, what I've seen is actually that the UK site has a bunch of excellent, critically acclaimed movies that simply aren't on the U.S. site.

 

Two examples I've noticed in recent days are "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Shawshank Redemption" -- neither of which can be streamed from the U.S. site, AFAIK. Those are just two examples among many, in addition to the TV series examples of "24" and "The Shield" that I mentioned in the OP.

 

[muratremix]

Uk netflix has less than half the content of us.


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[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I wasn't commenting on the VOLUME of content available. I was commenting on the quality and specifics of content available.

 

Netflix US is filled with a lot of video c**p, especially with regard to its movie content, with the acknowledgment that quality judgments are somewhat in the eye of the beholder.

 

But, I think most informed people would agree, that shows like "24" and "The Shield" are some of the best U.S. TV series of recent years. And you'll find them on the UK version, but not the U.S. version. And there are lots more examples of similar TV series and movies beyond those.

 

 

[muratremix]

I wasn't commenting on the VOLUME of content available. I was commenting on the quality and specifics of content available.

 

Netflix US is filled with a lot of video c**p, especially with regard to its movie content, with the acknowledgment that quality judgments are somewhat in the eye of the beholder.

 

But, I think most informed people would agree, that shows like "24" and "The Shield" are some of the best U.S. TV series of recent years. And you'll find them on the UK version, but not the U.S. version. And there are lots more examples of similar TV series and movies beyond those.

 

 

 

UK netflix doesn't even have super HD (perhaps they have on very limited content).

Why bother with 720p or DVD quality content when you can download these series in HD quality / 1080p from torrént.

US Netflix has tvshows in HD or Super-HD.

 

I agree they have some movies not available in US netflix but it is not Full HD!

[rwdrwdrwd]

Netflix works entirely based on IP, so anyone with an account anywhere in the world can access other region content by using dynamic ip services or VPN .

 

There are a few sites that aggregate all the Netflix content worldwide so you can see what's available and switch your region (if you have an IP service or a VPN for that region. One such site is http://domsguide.com/

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Some of the other Netflix UK movie offerings, not available via the U.S. service, include:

 

Top Gun, Jerry Maguire, Saving Private Ryan, The Godfather and Airplane. But the U.S. version does have the "classic" The Black Godfather...

 

The point here is not whether the U.S. or UK version of Netflix is better. The point is, if you're already paying for Netflix, some very good movies may be available to you on the non-U.S. versions, even if they're not available on the U.S. version.

 

Just because the U.S. version has the largest catalog offerings doesn't mean it necessarily has all the best TV shows and movies, or even the ones you may want to view. The non-U.S. Netflix offerings are  to some extent different from those on the U.S. version, not just smaller subsets of the U.S. Netflix catalog.

 

 

Edited August 5, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK