# Watching CBC on internet - unavaible message

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-cbc-on-internet-unavaible-message/579411>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 22, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-cbc-on-internet-unavaible-message/579411 "2011-04-22T23:00:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-cbc-on-internet-unavaible-message/579411/1 "2011-04-22T23:00:07Z")

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Watching, rather attempting to watch, CBC on the internet I frequently get a message to the effect ‘this show not available outside Canada’. No problem, that is there prerogative, I’m sure. And I am sure there are many ways to determine I am not in Canada but it seems like a lot of trouble to vet just me.

Who and how is it discovered I am not in Canada?

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**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-cbc-on-internet-unavaible-message/579411/2 "2011-04-22T23:06:48Z")

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Your IP address. It’s the same reason I can’t watch HULU or Comedy Central. I’d trade IP addresses with you if I could!

Of course, iswifter has fixed this for me, since it’s a flash browser for the iPad which is actually on a remote server in the states. It serves as a proxy, and lets me watch stuff relatively well. When I was in Florida last year, though, I didn’t find a fast enough proxy to watch hockey on CBC’s stream. But there were, _cough cough_, other ways around that.:rolleyes:

What are you trying to watch, anyhow?

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**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-cbc-on-internet-unavaible-message/579411/3 "2011-04-22T23:10:18Z")

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Most likely using your IP to match your location. There are a lot of [services](http://www.ip2location.com/) to do just that, and pretty much all streaming content providers will use one, even if just for metrics.

There are lots of sites that restrict visitor access to U.S. only (for example comedycentral, hulu, and pandora), you just haven’t noticed.

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**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-cbc-on-internet-unavaible-message/579411/4 "2011-04-22T23:12:26Z")

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> [@antonio107](#):
>
> \<…\> What are you trying to watch, anyhow?

This time it was a nature program of some sort. _The Nature of Things_, perhaps. I was just browsing. Not really important.

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**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-cbc-on-internet-unavaible-message/579411/5 "2011-04-22T23:57:17Z")

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> [@janeslogin](#):
>
> This time it was a nature program of some sort. _The Nature of Things_, perhaps. I was just browsing. Not really important.

Blech. Haven’t watched it since grade 7 biology class. CBC did you a favor if you ask me. 😛