If a film isn't available by streaming in a particular country, it's generally because the distributor in that country made exclusivity for a certain period a condition of financing. International presales often provide a significant chunk of production finance, without which the picture doesn't get made in the first place.
For the time being at least, this exclusivity must be assumed to have greater economic value to the individual country's distributor than whatever amount Netflix or one of the streaming or online delivery services is offering.
BTW the proposition about rewarding creatives is in the original article, I'm just not clear on the thinking behind it.
A good point re: presale of international distribution rights. But that system clearly doesn't serve the end user, so you can't be too surprised when the end user finds ways around it. It just goes to show that "Hollywood" thinking isn't a uniquely American hangup.
For the time being at least, this exclusivity must be assumed to have greater economic value to the individual country's distributor than whatever amount Netflix or one of the streaming or online delivery services is offering.
BTW the proposition about rewarding creatives is in the original article, I'm just not clear on the thinking behind it.