Content Restrictions: The Fail Of The Decade

Regional content restrictions are definitely the Internet's #1 fail of the decade. While we have been able to break free from the bounds of local radio / TV stations' radio range, the Internet is far from global. This has been increasingly frustrating, as content is not only restricted by a platform. Being forced to subscribe to Netflix or HBO or YouTube just to watch this or that limits my willingness to spend money on content at all.

Wired has just published a great list of documentaries and all of them look like I wanted to watch them. And it turns out I am not able to do this legally. Even if I wanted to pay money. Cheating or stealing is probably the only way. Setting up a VPN account to bypass the geographical restrictions or simply find the file to download on an illegal download network.

YouTube or iTunes or Spotify have been able to mostly solve that issue for music. Video remains highly problematic. I wonder how many years of consumers' market pressure it will take to get to a state when I can pick ANY piece of content I like and use any payment system I want to reimburse the creators and any distribution platform they decided to use, without the annoying restrictions.

Is 2030 too aggressive date to have that solved?