Personal Liability
Streaming or downloading files from Couchtuner could potentially put you at risk of civil and criminal prosecution depending on where you live. Couchtuner and similar companies include disclaimers in their terms of use, shifting the liability to the individual who uploads or downloads content.
ISP Intervention
Many internet companies cooperate with the entertainment industry, sending notices and warnings to users who access pirated music, movies, TV Shows, or other illegal content. Companies can punish repeat offenders by canceling or temporarily interrupting their service or slowing down streaming speeds. In 2017, the US ended its six strikes’ anti-piracy initiative, which penalized people who viewed copyrighted content illegally. Even though the program is no longer active, ISPs still pursue users who access pirated material.
Malware, Viruses, and Ransomware
The spreading of malicious software which can infect or even shut down your devices is common among streaming sites. The content found on websites like Couchtuner isn’t scanned for malware before becoming publicly available. If you choose to use these websites, having effective security measures in place is a necessity.
Is Couchtuner Legal?
This isn’t as simple as a yes or a no; but generally, downloading or hosting copyrighted material without a license to do so is illegal, while just accessing streamed content is within the law. To flout the rules, companies like Couchtuner avoid storing content on their servers and embed links from secondary sources, but it’s a fine line.
Why You Should ALWAYS Use a VPN to Safely Stream on CouchTuner
This technique allows you to access your home region’s content while you travel even in countries with online censorship, which allows for a more open online experience. Top VPNs implement no-logs policies to ensure online privacy further, and services like ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN include malware protection too.
Couchtuner
Couchturner offers a wide variety of TV shows and movies from popular platforms and channels. Annoyingly, CouchTuner is rife with excessive ads, and every click results in a new pop-up. Once you begin watching, there are more ads during streaming, but you can close them after a few seconds.
Seven Free Alternative to Couchtuner
1 PutLocker
PutLocker offers a large selection of movies and TV shows arranged by genre and country, making it easy to find what you want to watch. You must register for a free account before viewing content.
2 Flixtor
Flixtor includes a large selection of movies and TV shows, no registration or download necessary; however, if you sign up for a free account, you can create movie lists and gain access to VIP benefits. Flixtor is also one of the few services without ads during streaming.
3 Popcorn Time
Popcorn Time doesn’t function as an in-browser stream. This program requires a download to work. Note that the website has a disclaimer that downloading copyrighted content may be illegal depending on your country of origin. So, always make sure to check your local laws and ISP terms of service before using this site. As Popcorn Time has an integrated media player, it allows for faster streaming.
4 TVCatchup
TVCatchup specializes in providing live streaming and on-demand access to channels rather than movies and specific shows. The company places ads in the content and outlines that they could sell your browsing activity to third-party companies, and you cannot watch if you have ad-blocking on. TVCatchup requires you to be in the US to access the site, and you have to register for a free account to stream content.
5 Sony Crackle
Sony Crackle offers hundreds of acquired movies and TV shows, which you can search for by specific titles, rather than look through extensive lists. Movies are also categorized by genre, making it easy to search for the content you want. Movies and shows include ads, which you can’t skip or fast forward, and registration allows you to create movie lists. Viewers must be located in the US to access content on Crackle.
6 Pipes
Tubi offers a small collection of both movies and TV shows, with free registration which allows you to queue videos. You can set parental controls and request specific movies you’d like to see made available, and is compatible with Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV, PlayStation, and Xbox. Non-US viewers must use a VPN to access content.
7 Solar Movie
SolarMovie provides free access to both movies and TV shows, with an emphasis on Asian content. You can find content from Japan, India, Thailand, and Korea as well as a few titles here and there from the US, France, and the UK. Using SolarMovie requires registering for a free account.
How Copyright Licensing Works
Paid services like cable, satellite, and online streaming companies like Netflix and Hulu, obtain copyright licenses, permitting them to host movies and TV shows. The companies pay hefty licensing fees, which they recoup in the form of monthly premiums charged to customers. Free streaming services do not pay licensing fees.
How Services Offer Content Free of Charge?
Most free services use ad revenue to pay operating costs; however, advertisements and pop-ups can contain viruses, malware, or ransomware, or are simply disruptive.
Where to Stream TV and Movies Legally?
Conclusion
To ensure that you remain protected from ads, trackers, and malware, it’s best to use a VPN when you browse or stream content online. ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN include malware protection, giving you an extra layer of security in conjunction with better privacy, anonymity, and net neutrality.
