Netflix has announced today that they’ll be entering the Australian market next year, ending months of speculation (and dare I say it, hope) that the service would make its way down under. The service will become available to Australian and New Zealand residents from March 2015, offering high-definition content and even 4K content where available.
The details are very brief. We’ve got no indication on pricing, what content will be available here, or anything else. However, with a local PR firm appointed, you can only expect that news will come in time, over the next few months, while we wait for the service to launch.
Until then, I guess people will keep accessing the US version of Netflix! One wonders if the entry of Netflix into the Australian market will be enough to unseat the incumbents in this area … I can’t help but think that Foxtel has to be a little bit worried here, and although they’ve reduced prices lately, it’s still a significant expense compared to Netflix (although it does offer a bit more content).
OH oh! My cosy excuse for “being forced to download torrents” was that as Aussies we had no access to legit downloads at a reasonable price.
In 2015 Netflix will force me to think of some other reason why all those corporate bastards force me to download torrents for free!!
I’d say it’s mainly because you’re poor and can’t afford roughly $20 a month for video and music streaming services.
Foxtel did nothing to get me excited with their new do called pricing, all the crap channels for 25 if you want anything good your still paying through the nose.
That’s not point – its not hard, but its the thought for getting something better than an average consumer will have access to and something that really offers a much better service than Foxtel at a lower price. It’s the same for using a media server or anything that is not considered mainstream in standards.
Hopefully they can dislodge some of the licensing deals that Foxtel has been managing to strong-arm studios by virtue of being a small market.
Am I the only one worried about burning through my meagre Australian download allowance rather quickly with this?
No, there are at least two of us!
If Presto added TV series, I’d consider them a very competitive service. They’re only $10 a month now and owned by Foxtel.
I dont think ill stop using the US service for a while yet. I cant go without hulu and such as of yet.
Im interested to see what content they have got though.
This will seem pretty vain, but its going to feel a little less special and subvert using Netflix normally :/ I wonder if we’ll see Roku and new set-top boxes enter the market as a result…
its not exactly hard to do. I really hate the people that think they are superior for doing it and make out they are like some hardcore hacker or some shit for doing it.
Netflix is a giant in the US so should have a lot of money. Hopefully they will splash out a big on content agreements next time they are up for renewal. We’ll get more content and they’ll become an even more attractive service.
I expect this to come here with limited content at first, a fraction of the US selection due to what Foxtel has the rights to, but over time it should get better
Given the distribution agreements that are in place, it will be interesting to see which shows Netflix will be able to offer in Australia, as it will not be as comprehensive as their US offering. Hopefully, increased competition in bidding for distribution rights for new shows from now on should enable more shows to be more widely available in a more timely manner. We shall see.