Geoblocking

Geoblocking allows you to restrict or allow content access based on viewers’ geographic locations. This is essential for managing licensing agreements, regulatory compliance, and regional content strategies.

How Geoblocking Works

Vidori uses IP-based geolocation to determine a viewer’s country and region. When a viewer attempts to access geoblocked content:

1. Allowed region → Content plays normally
2. Blocked region → Viewer sees a “not available in your region” message
3. Unknown location → Follows your default policy (allow or block)

Note

Geolocation is determined by IP address using industry-standard databases. VPN users may bypass restrictions—consider this when planning your content strategy.

Geoblocking Levels

Configure geoblocking at multiple levels:

Level	Scope	Use Case
Tenant-wide	All content	Default policy for your platform
Content Group	Collection of videos	Regional content libraries
Individual Asset	Single video	Specific licensing restrictions

Tip

Asset-level settings override content group settings, which override tenant-wide defaults.

Configuring Geoblocking

Tenant Default Policy

Set the default geoblocking policy for all content:

1. Go to Settings → Content → Geoblocking
2. Choose your default policy:
   • Allow all - Content available everywhere unless specifically blocked
   • Block all - Content blocked everywhere unless specifically allowed
3. Save changes

Content Group Geoblocking

Apply regional restrictions to entire content groups:

1. Go to Catalog → Groups
2. Select or create a content group
3. Click the Settings tab
4. Navigate to Geographic Restrictions
5. Choose restriction type:
   • Allow in selected regions - Only available in chosen countries
   • Block in selected regions - Available everywhere except chosen countries
6. Select countries/regions
7. Save changes

Asset-Level Geoblocking

Configure restrictions for individual videos:

1. Go to Catalog → On-Demand
2. Click on the video to open details
3. Navigate to the Availability tab
4. Under Geographic Restrictions, configure:
   • Restriction type (Allow/Block)
   • Selected regions
5. Save changes

Region Selection

By Country

Select individual countries from the list:

• United States
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• Australia
• Germany
• France
• … and 200+ more

By Region

Select predefined regions for faster configuration:

Region	Countries Included
North America	US, Canada, Mexico
European Union	All 27 EU member states
Europe (All)	EU + UK, Switzerland, Norway, etc.
Asia Pacific	Australia, Japan, South Korea, etc.
Latin America	Central & South America, Caribbean
Middle East	UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, etc.

Custom Groups

Create custom region groups for your specific needs:

1. Go to Settings → Content → Region Groups
2. Click Create Region Group
3. Name your group (e.g., “Licensed Territories”)
4. Select countries to include
5. Save

Custom groups appear alongside standard regions in the selector.

Licensing Windows

Combine geoblocking with time-based availability for complex licensing scenarios:

Field	Description
Start Date	When content becomes available in the region
End Date	When content is removed from the region
Regions	Which countries this window applies to

1. Open the video’s Availability tab
2. Click Add Licensing Window
3. Select regions for this window
4. Set start and end dates
5. Save

Tip

You can create multiple licensing windows for the same content with different regions and dates—perfect for staggered international releases.

Viewer Experience

Blocked Content Display

When content is unavailable in a viewer’s region:

• In browse/search - Content can be hidden or shown with a “Not available” badge
• On detail page - Shows availability message instead of play button
• Direct link - Displays region restriction message

Configure blocked content visibility in Settings → Content → Geoblocking:

Option	Behavior
Hide blocked content	Content doesn’t appear in browse/search
Show with badge	Content visible but marked unavailable
Show normally	Content visible, blocked only on play

Custom Messages

Customize the message shown to blocked viewers:

1. Go to Settings → Content → Geoblocking
2. Edit the Blocked Content Message
3. Use variables for dynamic content:
   • {title} - Content title
   • {country} - Viewer’s country
4. Save

Example:

"{title}" is not available in {country}. Check back later for updates on availability in your region.

Analytics

Track geoblocking impact in Analytics → Content:

Metric	Description
Blocked attempts	Play attempts from restricted regions
Top blocked regions	Countries with most blocked attempts
Blocked content	Most frequently blocked videos

Note

High blocked attempts from specific regions may indicate demand—useful data for licensing negotiations.

Best Practices

Licensing Compliance

• Document all licensing agreements with their territorial restrictions
• Set up licensing windows before content goes live
• Use content groups to manage regional libraries efficiently
• Regularly audit geoblocking settings against active licenses

User Experience

• Consider showing blocked content with badges rather than hiding it entirely
• Provide clear, friendly messaging about availability
• Include information about when/if content might become available

Technical Considerations

• Test geoblocking from target regions (use test accounts or VPN for verification)
• Remember that VPNs can bypass IP-based restrictions
• Consider additional DRM for high-value content
• Monitor blocked attempt analytics for licensing opportunities

Caution

Geoblocking is not foolproof. Determined users with VPNs can bypass IP-based restrictions. For highly sensitive content, combine geoblocking with additional authentication or DRM measures.