Selling films and videos
Geo-restrict video sales by country.
One rule for your service, an override for any film.
Geo-restriction decides which countries can buy and watch a film. Independent filmmakers need it most when a distributor or broadcaster holds the rights in one territory and the filmmaker keeps the rest. Done right, it lets you sell everywhere you are allowed to without breaking a deal.
Video hosting for filmmakers · 5 GB free · Paid plans from USD 9/month
By uncompressed.io · Updated October 2026
Short answer
How do you geo-restrict video sales to certain countries?
Set a country rule: everywhere, only these countries, or everywhere except these. On uncompressed.io you set a default for your streaming service and override it per film, and the rule is enforced both at checkout and at playback, so a blocked viewer can neither buy nor watch. Country is read from the viewer's connection, so it keeps you within a rights deal in good faith rather than guaranteeing it.
- Three rules: everywhere, only these, everywhere except
- A default for your whole service
- An override on any single film
- Enforced at checkout and at playback
- Country read from the viewer's connection
- A VPN can sometimes get around it
The three rules
Everywhere, only, except
and when to use each
Countries are chosen from the full ISO country list. Each rule can be the service default or a single film's override.
Service and film
Two levels of rule
without repeating yourself
Service default
One rule that applies to every film in your shop. Most creators leave it at everywhere, or block the one territory a distributor holds for the whole catalogue.
Per-film override
A film with its own rule ignores the default. Use it for the one film that has a broadcast deal in one country, or a festival premiere still to come in another.
The two levels keep rules simple. A catalogue of twenty films with one restricted title needs one override, not twenty settings.
Enforcement
At checkout and at playback
checked twice
Checking at checkout alone is not enough. A viewer who bought while abroad, or a member whose tier includes a restricted film, would still be able to play it at home.
At checkout
A viewer in a restricted country cannot buy or rent the film. The checkout refuses the sale, so nobody pays for something they cannot watch.
At playback
Every play is checked against the film's rule, so purchases, rentals and memberships all respect it, wherever the viewer bought.
What country rules cannot do
Set it up
Applying a rights deal
in four steps
Read the deal
List the territories a distributor or broadcaster holds, and the dates.
Set the default
If the restriction covers the whole catalogue, set it on the service.
Override per film
If it covers one film, set the rule on that film only.
Review on expiry
When a deal ends, switch the film back to everywhere and tell your list.
Your analytics show sales and shop visits by country, so you can see what a territory earns before you sign it away. The streaming platform is included with every paid plan for members who switch it on before 31 December 2026, and stays included for them afterwards; after that date new activations add USD 39 a month.
uncompressed.io for creators, in one table
Read from the live price list. Verified 2026-10.
| Commission on sales | 0 percent, at any volume. Buyers pay into your own payment account; your card processor's fee applies. |
|---|---|
| What you can sell | Purchases (stream forever), downloads, rentals with a viewing window, memberships with monthly or yearly tiers, bundles and series. |
| Member tools | Free trials per tier, coupon codes, gift memberships, refunds and free access from your earnings page. |
| Your storefront | A shop under your name at yourname.uncompressed.io/on-demand, or on your own domain. Buyers need no account. |
| Picture quality | Films stream as you exported them: no re-encode of video or audio, with an optional lighter copy for slow connections. |
| Viewing hours included | Lite 1,000, Pro 5,000, Max 15,000, Studio 25,000 hours a month, then USD 29 per extra 20,000-hour block. Playback never pauses. |
| Plans | Starter free (5 GB, one film at a time); Lite USD 9, Pro USD 39, Max USD 99, Studio USD 219 a month; yearly is one month free. |
| Leak Shield (optional) | Every buyer gets their own invisibly marked copy; the open web and torrent indexes are searched; a confirmed leak names and blocks the buyer and sends the takedown. USD 99 a month or USD 1,188 a year, any paid plan. |
| Inclusion window | The streaming platform is included with every paid plan for members who switch it on before 31 December 2026, and stays included for them afterwards; after that date new activations add USD 39 a month. |
Plans and add-ons: pricing. The whole cluster starts at the creator platform guide.
Questions
Frequently asked
What does it mean to geo-restrict a video?
Geo-restricting a video means limiting who can buy or watch it by country. The platform reads the viewer's country from their connection and allows or refuses access according to the rule you set.
Can I restrict one film but not the others?
Yes. On uncompressed.io you set a default rule for your whole streaming service and override it on any single film. A film with its own rule ignores the default.
Where is the rule enforced?
At checkout and at playback. A viewer in a blocked country cannot buy the film, and cannot play it either, so the rule holds even for someone who bought it while travelling elsewhere.
Can viewers get around geo-restriction with a VPN?
Some can. Country detection is based on the connection, and a VPN changes the apparent country. Geo-restriction keeps you within the terms of a rights deal in good faith; it is not a guarantee that nobody in a territory ever watches.
Should I block countries where I do not sell much?
No. Only restrict where you have a reason: a rights deal, a legal requirement, or a festival premiere in a territory. Every blocked country is buyers turned away.
Does geo-restriction apply to memberships?
The rule belongs to each film. A member in a blocked country keeps their membership but cannot play the films restricted in their country, so describe any restrictions on the tier.
Sell where your rights allow.
Country rules come with the streaming platform on every paid plan (Lite USD 9, Pro USD 39, Max USD 99, Studio USD 219 a month), with purchases, rentals and memberships at 0% commission.