Episodes of this new Channel 4 programme are available to view online. However only if your IP address is registered to a UK address.
Visit this URL and you’ll see an error message (well unless you are actually in the UK!)
We’re sorry, but users outside the UK cannot access The IT Crowd.
What about those in Ireland, who receive Channel 4 by satellite/cable?
Well perhaps I shouldn’t complain, at least Channel 4 have only blocked a section of their site, because a US TV channel called Shotime has blocked its entire site from non US IP addresses.
Sorry
We at Showtime Online express our apologies; however, these pages are intended for access only from within the United States.
It is perhaps ironic that those who watch the IT Crowd will know how to circumvent the GeoIP problem…
- Google Video
- Your Tube (better than Google video)
- itcrowd.co.nr looks promising but the avi’s are protected by DRM which opens a browser window to channel and asks for a login, bugmenot provides plenty, but this takes too much effort, and makes your IP known to channel4.
- Filecloud
- UK Proxy (not recommended, probably capped at 10k/s and password sniffer, and maybe illegal depending on who runs the proxy)
As far as I remember, Northern Ireland is part of the uk, right? I got the same message.
The full name of the UK is “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. However, politics aside the channel4 page will just a use a script that looks up a database with the IP address of a visitor. This could be a static database, or a live lookup.
Your current IP returns
inetnum: 62.254.32.0 - 62.254.63.255
netname: NTL
descr: NTL Internet
descr: Belfast site
country: GB
admin-c: NNMC1-RIPE
tech-c: NNMC1-RIPE
status: ASSIGNED PA
mnt-by: AS5089-MNT
source: RIPE # Filtered
role: NTLI Network Management Centre
address: NTL Internet
address: Crawley Court
address: Winchester
address: Hampshire
address: SO21 2QA
remarks: ——————————————————-
remarks: For abuse notifications please -
remarks: file an online case @ http://www.ntlworld.com/netreport
remarks: 44 1633 710142 (Voicemail Only)
remarks: ——————————————————-
remarks: For peering issues/requests please -
remarks: email : peering@ntli.net
remarks: ——————————————————-
admin-c: MH22007-RIPE
admin-c: NR731-RIPE
admin-c: CW1083-RIPE
tech-c: MH22007-RIPE
tech-c: CW1083-RIPE
admin-c: NR731-RIPE
nic-hdl: NNMC1-RIPE
mnt-by: AS5089-MNT
e-mail: planninginformation.management@ntl.com
source: RIPE # Filtered
% Information related to ‘62.254.0.0/17AS5089′
route: 62.254.0.0/17
descr: NTL-UK-IP-BLOCK
origin: AS5089
mnt-by: AS5089-MNT
source: RIPE # Filtered
If the latter is true then Belfast could be excluded, but again leaving politics aside, it’s more likely the script looks for the keyword “UK” and your ISP has chosen the keyword “GB” from RIPE.
I’m aslo in Northern Ireland, and phoned Channel 4 about this matter this morning. According to the lovely folk on their Viewer Enquiry line, complaints on the subject should be sent to dot4@channel4.com .
Of course the episodes can be obtained elsewhere, but damnit, it’s the principle of the thing!
If the emails fail, I suggest we deal with this in the traditional six counties manner - full-scale rioting and a dodgy human rights lawyer.
PS: You could well be right about the country keyword. My own ISP aso uses “GB” rather than “UK”.
on the other hand I’m not too excited… I know friends in UK “transnational corporations” who have US, CA, DE, FR IPs from their patents and couldn’t watch it