Fri 4 Jul 2014 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Orange is the New Black is among the original Netflix content Slingshot customers will be able to access legitimately Slingshot is allowing all its customers to access streaming sites like Netflix, meaning they can watch Orange is the New Black, and endless other glbti content. While it’s being buzzed about across the globe, the second season of hit prison show Orange is the New Black is yet to make it to New Zealand television, leaving many scrambling for other ways to watch it, such as pirating, or using an IP masking service. The Netflix original features an array of lesbian and bi characters - and transgender woman Laverne Cox playing a trans woman, and has become a fast favourite among queer viewers. Amazon Prime, Hulu and BBC iPlayer are other streaming sites Slingshot customers will now have access too, meaning customers can access their wide array of glbti TV shows and films. Slingshot already offered a service called Global Mode, letting households with international visitors sign up and have access to global streaming sites. It’s now turning this on for all customers. Slingshot GM Taryn Hamilton says the ISP believes the time has come for New Zealanders to have the same choice of content that those in America and Europe have. "We know Kiwis want to watch movies and TV series online - but are blocked from using the world’s best and most popular streaming services. We are now giving Kiwis access to these sites - and an option to pay for the content they want to watch at a fair price." Hamilton says many Kiwis are frustrated with a poor selection of content at a significantly higher cost than those in other countries are offered, and for no good reason. "Either that or they are choosing to pirate the content they want to watch. So giving access to all the great streaming services will give Kiwis much greater choice and an option to pay for content they otherwise may not have been able to. "The limited access New Zealanders have to content that is widely available overseas is an issue that needs to be addressed. "There is no valid argument as to why New Zealanders are paying much more for the same content as others in the world. We shouldn’t tolerate it. This issue extends far beyond TV and Movies, with Kiwis paying significantly more for many technology services and products from the world’s biggest brands than in many other countries." Slingshot says studies show that many Kiwis are pirating content. A recent survey by Horizon Research showed that more than one fifth of the 2700 respondents had downloaded content illegally. "We know that people would prefer to pay a reasonable price for the content they want to watch rather than pirating it. It’s time the content providers and rights holders got their act together and offered Kiwis the same content - for the same price - that people in other parts of the world have access to. "Until they do, people will need to use a service like Global Mode to pay for top-quality online content, or continue to steal it."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 4th July 2014 - 9:02am