Actually, I own a server in the US and have the means to set up a VPS.
The point I am trying to make is that I shouldn't have to take 10 steps to watch my favourite shows. It should be a two step process. Pay -> Watch. Easy.
Oh yes. I agree. And I have suffered to set up an american PayPal account just so I could pay for media services which restrict access based on where your PayPal account is (IMHO, they should not even be able to get this information, but I digress). Then PayPal found out and basically blocked my account, along with the little amount of funds it had.
It is just crazy how many conditions they impose instead of just taking my money, then complain when people who are less patient than me just go ahead and pirate the damn thing.
Pay -> Watch replaces hundreds of network heads getting tremendous managerial salaries with a few web developers. Not easy, because the people who make the calls are the ones who no longer have purpose in the business, and thus they are trying to bring everyone else down on their sinking ship.
The only real solution is for companies like Netflix to fund the development of shows themselves. Until the IP is in Netflix's hands, things will never change. But once the people actually making the shows see that Netflix is a viable avenue for their content, a sea change will begin.
Well, I'm excited about the upcoming Netflix-exclusive Arrested Development season. There's a huge fanbase and it should be a good indicator for how successful an approach like this can be. On the other hand, I'm from germany and that, of course, means that I'll will have to get the show from somewhere else.
If actors could organize, we could easily see a transition to kick-starter like funding of film and television productions (fund per episode?) that when funded is just publicly distributed via torrents. Absolutely 0 middle men, no costs of distribution at all (unless you count the guy who pays for an internet connection to do the first bout of seeding the episode) and it properly fits into how the pay per unit model fails in digital media.
The point I am trying to make is that I shouldn't have to take 10 steps to watch my favourite shows. It should be a two step process. Pay -> Watch. Easy.