Canada Netflix users complain as access to U.S. service blocked

By Ethan Lou
TORONTO, April 20 (Reuters) - Some Canadian Netflix Inc
NFLX.O users cried foul on Wednesday after the video-streaming
giant appeared to have made good on its pledge to block access
for customers using unauthorized services to view more varied
American content.
Canadian customers have access to less content on the
service, with one website estimating Canadians could see 4,000
TV shows and movies, compared with 7,000 in the United States.
As a result, some subscribers use proxies or servers that
facilitate access to Internet content not available locally.
Netflix said in January it would clamp down on usage of
proxies or unblockers. It appeared to have stepped up
enforcement over the weekend, with people on social media and
online forums reporting mass outages.
A Twitter user with the handle @mrmitchclarke told the
streaming service on Wednesday he would stop paying, attaching a
screenshot of a Netflix page telling the user payment cannot
proceed.
A Twitter user with the handle @Sethalos said the Netflix
service available to Canadian users is "terrible."
"So what other choice do you have other than Torrent," he
said, referencing BitTorrent, the free peer-to-peer file-sharing
protocol that allows illegal movie and TV show downloads.
Netflix's move comes after its forecast of slower
subscription growth this quarter, which sent its shares tumbling
8 percent in after-hours trading on Monday.
A Netflix spokeswoman referred to the company's January
announcement and Monday's video conference about the company's
earnings and declined further comment.
In the earnings call, Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings
dismissed concerns that the crackdown might affect business.
"It's a very small, but quite vocal minority," Hastings said
of the users affected by the crackdown. "It's really
inconsequential to us."
Netflix grants unlimited access to its selection of TV shows
and movies for a monthly fee and is known for its original shows
including "Orange is the New Black" and "House of Cards."