Global mode killed off

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, June 24th, 2015 - 21 comments
Categories: broadcasting, internet - Tags: , ,

As widely reported this morning:

CallPlus to axe Global Mode in deal to settle legal action

Internet provider CallPlus and Bypass Network Services will withdraw GlobalMode in New Zealand to end legal action brought against them by television companies.
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GlobalMode, which was developed by Auckland firm Bypass, is provided free by CallPlus and is used by tens of thousands of its customers to access services that are supposed to be blocked in New Zealand for copyright reasons.
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CallPlus, which owns the Slingshot, Orcon and Flip internet brands, confirmed it would stop offering GlobalMode on September 1.

Broadband users can still circumvent blocks on overseas television services by using overseas intermediaries, such as UnoTelly and Unblock-US, that charge about $5 a month to disguise the location of customers’ computers.

According to the NBR the legal action was brought by Sky TV, TVNZ, MediaWorks and Spark.

21 comments on “Global mode killed off ”

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  1. James 1
    24 June 2015 at 12:09 pm

    Disappointing.

    Im sure the use of global mode and the like has reduced the amount of piracy – ensuring that the content providers are receiving $$ for their work (as delivered via netflix / hulu etc).

    Also – it means that there are services that I access via global mode which have no NZ distribution rights at all that I am now blocked from (Unless I unotelly etc). Bugger.

    The business models will change – Netflix can play for regional rights with the big boys (EG Topgear going there as opposed to ITV).

    Local big business may have won the battle, but in time will lose the war.

    • dukeofurl 1.1
      24 June 2015 at 12:17 pm

      Apparently using US connection with Netflix meant you had a shorter list of movies than Netflix Canada. So its a funny world

      Using an official connection like ‘Global Mode’ may be restricted from September, but isnt VPN still usable ?- and as its done via an overseas provider out of the reach of any NZ court action.

    • weka 1.2
      24 June 2015 at 12:23 pm

      I agree. NZ will never get good services delivered by the model the dinosaurs want to use simply because of economies of scale (look at broadcast TV for an example), so this will just increase the incentive to find work arounds and other ways to access content. Well done Sky, TVNZ, Mediaworks and Spark, you’ve just created another generation of people who are going to say fuck you to you.

  2. Sable 2
    24 June 2015 at 12:18 pm

    Time to stop supporting companies that don’t respect the public who ultimately keep them in business….

  3. mickysavage 3
    24 June 2015 at 12:19 pm

    There is a very simple workaround called hide my ass …

  4. Colonial Rawshark 4
    24 June 2015 at 12:21 pm

    Corporations collude and they hate competition.

    • Save NZ 4.1
      24 June 2015 at 12:44 pm

      +1

      NZ Consumers forced into artificial pricing and monopoly/duopoly again by the same old players.

      Surely markets speculator and ratings disaster CEO Mark Weldon from Media Works believes in ‘free market’ choice. Ofcourse quite protectionist when it suits him. I guess Cops 3 isn’t rating as well as he thought. What a surprise!

      Wait till they rub their hands in glee with TPP. Although I would say most NZ companies would be gone within a few years including TV1 and 3 and replaced by SKY and SERCO types for the next 25 years.

      TPP or should I say, the forced enslavery agreement of privatisation.

    • Draco T Bastard 4.2
      24 June 2015 at 7:34 pm

      Yep. From what I can make out a large reason for globalisation was so that the large corporations could kill off the competition. Instead of being limited by what was available in your country due to tariffs etc you’re now limited to what you can buy from about 4 corporations. This monopolising is hidden behind branding and front businesses so that it’s difficult, if not outright impossible, to know who owns what.

  5. infused 5
    24 June 2015 at 12:38 pm

    Just get it via torrent. done.

    • Lanthanide 5.1
      24 June 2015 at 1:51 pm

      Yip. There is a popular BBC show that I watched most of on YouTube, complete with ads. Then a copyright claim was made and now almost all of the episodes on YouTube won’t play because we’re in NZ and geoblocked.

      So I torrented them. Now they can’t get any revenue from me at all.

  6. Paul Campbell 6
    24 June 2015 at 1:41 pm

    #$5/month buys you a Digital Ocean server you can host your own VPN on …. I have one, I use it for travel in China, honest (mine is in Singapore)

    • weka 6.1
      25 June 2015 at 8:15 am

      how many people can understand what you just said let alone know how to do it?

      • Paul Campbell 6.1.1
        25 June 2015 at 10:03 am

        sadly not a lot – basically it’s how to set up your own “global mode” – here’s a step by step set of instructions (still for geeks I’m afraid)

        http://paxinstruments.com/how-to-setup-a-vpn-in-china/

        makesure you choose a US server rather than one in Singapore (which is better of you’re trying to get around the great firewall of china)

  7. linda 7
    24 June 2015 at 4:33 pm

    Boycott key media and use popcorn time no cost high quality and much larger selection than netflix

  8. G C Cameron 8
    24 June 2015 at 7:52 pm

    My internet service provider enables Global Mode (not for much longer obviously). I don’t use it myself. It’s not hard to reroute an IP address. I imagine more and more people will just download software to do just that.

    Sky TV, TVNZ, MediaWorks and Spark look pathetic to people in the Information Technology know. If people want there IP address to appear American, that’s their choice. If I want to Host website’s on American based servers – that’s my choice. There are many legitimate reasons for businesses and individuals to reroute/disguise there IP addresses.

    Obviously people have discovered they can access content in Global Mode which otherwise would not be available using an unrouted NZ IP address. Sky TV, TVNZ, MediaWorks and Spark are just pathetic and struggling to stay relevant.

    These companies still have life left in them yet; I mean, people still use landlines and enjoy sound-bite news coverage. The government still funds TVNZ, so they’ll stay around. However, these companies have come off looking profoundly ignorant and desperate.

  9. Cave Johnson 9
    25 June 2015 at 7:38 am

    Interesting that Orcon/CallPlus’ back-down came after they sold to M2 in April. M2 is presumably more of a corporate team player and less likely to take an independent stance than CallPlus was.
    I moved to Orcon to take easy advantage of Global Mode / US Netflix and it appealed that Orcon was locally owned, which they promoted. M2 is publicly listed in Australia and their call center is in the Philippines.
    I guess globalisation is a stick with two ends. We can’t have globalisation of content without expecting globalisation of ownership of the companies whose services we use.
    UnoTelly will cost me another US$5/month. By dropping global mode Orcon has just reduced its service and so should reduce its price by $5/month to compensate.

  10. Nigel 10
    25 June 2015 at 8:28 am

    I use Slingshot global mode and its an easy free service that works really well.

    My understanding is that this will force me to pay for a VPN (+/- $10 mo) service and use a computer to stream to my Tv to get around location restricted content?
    More hassle and cost, but i’ll use a VPN come August.

    My question is that when lots of people simply use easy VPN services what’s to stop a crackdown on that?

    Cheers.

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