AppleInsider Staff
Netflix on Monday debuted its streaming media services to markets in Australia and New Zealand, with official subscription access rolling out on a variety of platforms including Apple TV.
Cord cutters in Australia and New Zealand can now access on-demand TV shows and movies from Netflix via Apple TV, Smart TVs, Blu-Ray players, game consoles, the Web and more, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
Prior to today's launch, an estimated 200,000 Australians subscribed to and accessed the U.S. version of Netflix by spoofing their location. With what appears to be a limited content package, however, it remains to be seen if those users will switch over.
The publication notes Australia Netflix currently boasts much fewer titles compared to its North American counterparts, but does offer nearly 700 regional shows not available in the U.S. or Canada as a consolation. Netflix previously said that content selection will improve as the platform matures, adding more titles at regular intervals. The company used a similar tactic in the U.S. and Canada.
As for pricing, Netflix will cost Australian users AU$8.99 per month for a regular streaming plan, while an AU$11.99 tier is available for high-definition content on up to two screens. A top-end service offering 4K resolutions on up to four screens is also available for AU$14.99 per month.
Netflix first announced it would be expanding into Australia's market last year.
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30 Comments
And what about physical DVD delivery through the mail? ????
I don't know about New Zealand, but the arrival of Netflix in Australia has disrupted the market a lot. The traditional cable providers have dropped their prices through the floor, and 2 local Internet streaming services have opened: Presto https://www.presto.com.au and Stan https://www.stan.com.au
iTunes has not lowered their prices or made any visible changes though. iTunes charges $6.99 for a single HD rental vs Netflix $11.99 for a month of all you can eat HD. The iTunes movies are more recent though. I actually think the market is probably over-served now and there will be a shake out at some point.
My ISP had been spoofing since about November so I've been watching Netflix since then and it's great. What's brilliant though is that my account still works no matter what country it thinks I'm in. It's $9.99NZ here which is roughly what I was paying for the standard US one.
I don't know about New Zealand, but the arrival of Netflix in Australia has disrupted the market a lot. The traditional cable providers have dropped their prices through the floor, and 2 local Internet streaming services have opened: Presto https://www.presto.com.au and Stan https://www.stan.com.au
iTunes has not lowered their prices or made any visible changes though. iTunes charges $6.99 for a single HD rental vs Netflix $11.99 for a month of all you can eat HD. The iTunes movies are more recent though. I actually think the market is probably over-served now and there will be a shake out at some point.
Netflix doesn't carry all the current stuff. iTunes does. I use both constantly and its a balance. Can't get it all under one provider. Would be nice.
Bring on the new AppleTV with local programming. At $40/mo, it would still be only 1/3 of what I'm paying right now on my HD cable that I would just LOVE to cut permanently.
I am willing to check it out for a month. Though I have to say ASCII that it might be all you eat so long as you don't eat much or are happy with old food. I looked at Doctor Who this morning for example, the recent season is missing. As for "adding more content over time" good luck with that, if you check out iTunes even in Australia the owners of "rental" licensing for movies have it largely crippled. I could only begin to list the amount of films that are missing and I doubt Netflix will do much better. ALL that said, as mentioned it is the cost of 2ish rentals a month, so I guess as long as I am willing to watch 2 movies a month that are not available on iTunes then it is worth it just for that. Crunchy roll destroys it for anime.