Commercial providers of content such as Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Showtime, Vimeo and other personal subscription streaming services are not available for classroom use with few exceptions. They license their content exclusively to individuals, not to institutions, often making that content unavailable for institutions to license and make available.
When you subscribe to any of these services, you accept their end user license agreement. These services tend to use the same terms of agreement, which do not allow classroom or educational use.
The Netflix agreement below is an example of what subscribers agree to.
If you have a personal subscription to Netflix's streaming service, you accepted the Netflix End User License Agreement which does not permit classroom use. The agreement reads as follows:
"The Netflix service and any content viewed through our service are for your personal and non-commercial use only and may not be shared with individuals beyond your household. During your Netflix membership, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access the Netflix service and view Netflix content through the service. Except for the foregoing, no right, title or interest shall be transferred to you. You agree not to use the service for public performances."
However, there is one exception to the agreement. "Some Netflix original educational documentaries are available for one-time educational screenings.To find out which titles are available for educational screenings, visit media.netflix.com and search for the title or browse our recent and upcoming releases.
Titles that are available for educational screening will display either the following Grant of Permission or an Educational Screenings Permission (ESP) on their details page."
GRANT OF PERMISSION FOR EDUCATIONAL SCREENINGS
Netflix is proud to present original programming that speaks to our users in a meaningful way. We know that many of you are as excited about these films and series as we are, and because of their informational aspects, you’d like to show them in an educational setting -- e.g., in the classroom, at the next meeting of your community group, with your book club, etc. Consequently, we will permit one-time educational screenings of any of the titles noted with this information, on the following terms:
The film or series may only be accessed via the Netflix service, by a Netflix account holder. We don’t sell DVDs, nor can we provide other ways for you to exhibit the film.
The screening must be non-profit and non-commercial. That means you can’t charge admission, or solicit donations, or accept advertising or commercial sponsorships in connection with the screening.
Please don’t use Netflix’s logos in any promotion for the screening, or do anything else that indicates that the screening is “official” or endorsed by Netflix.
"One-time screening" means that you can't hold screenings several times in one day or one week - but if, for example, you're an educator who wants to show these films or series once a semester over multiple semesters, that's okay.
We trust our users to respect these guidelines, which are intended to help you share and discuss our content in your community.
To the extent your institution requires you to demonstrate that you have a license for your screening, please show them this page.
