Most television networks in the USA are offering the possibility for viewing TV shows on demand from the Internet. Unfortunately you cannot access the content from outside the USA. Using some basic IP validation and date/time checks you are identified as located within or outside the USA.

For more poplar shows you could consider waiting for the broadcasting in your native country. In most cases you will have to wait at least a year after the show airs in the USA. However certain TV shows will never be shown at all.

Buying the TV shows on DVD is a possibility, but with the taxes pretty expensive. Furthermore the future is digital media and on demand viewing. Nobody should really want to own the physical copy of TV show. How often do you watch a show more than once or twice.

No surprise illegal distribution of TV shows using peer-to-peer newsgroups is so popular.

The solution is delivered by USA based proxy servers. You authenticate on the server and are assigned a USA based IP address. You may need to change you date/time zone e.g. EDT or CDT. From that moment on you are considered USA based and allowed access to the content offered by NBC, CBS, FOX, etc.

You could also check-out www.hulu.com.

Another option is using the Boxee software. Read another blog entry about using this solution...

Tags: Television, Hulu, Boxee, USA