Yahoo – AFP, Glenn Chapman, January 6, 2016
Las Vegas (AFP) - Streaming pioneer Netflix said Wednesday it had significantly expanded its global footprint to 190 countries, making its Internet TV service available in 130 new markets including India -- but not China.
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| Netflix CEO Reed Hastings gives a keynote address, January 6, 2016 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada (AFP Photo/Robyn Beck) |
Las Vegas (AFP) - Streaming pioneer Netflix said Wednesday it had significantly expanded its global footprint to 190 countries, making its Internet TV service available in 130 new markets including India -- but not China.
Netflix,
which began as a mail-order DVD service but is now producing award-winning
original content alongside its offering of older shows and movies, launched in
2007. Now, 70 million subscribers pay a monthly fee for unlimited service.
"Today
you are witnessing the birth of a new global Internet TV network,"
co-founder and chief executive Reed Hastings said at the Consumer Electronics
Show in Las Vegas.
"With
this launch, consumers around the world -- from Singapore to St. Petersburg,
from San Francisco to Sao Paulo -- will be able to enjoy TV shows and movies
simultaneously -- no more waiting."
"While
you have been listening to me talk, the Netflix service has gone live in nearly
every country in the world except China, where we hope to be in the future."
Netflix
noted in a statement that it "continues to explore options for providing
the service" in China, the world's most populous country, where the
government censors online content it deems to be politically sensitive.
Other
countries or markets without the service are Crimea, North Korea and Syria due
to US government restrictions on American companies, Netflix said.
While
English is the main language for most of the new markets, Netflix said it has
added support for Arabic and Korean, along with simplified and traditional
Chinese to the 17 languages it now uses.
"From
today onwards, we will listen and we will learn, gradually adding more
languages, more content and more ways for people to engage with Netflix,"
said Hastings.
"We're
looking forward to bringing great stories from all over the world to people all
over the world."
Following
its launch, Netflix first expanded to Canada, and then to Latin America,
Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Until Wednesday, it was available in
60 countries.
The company
has been shifting from recycling old shows and movies to producing more
original content, with its shows such as "House of Cards" and
"Orange Is The New Black."
In 2016,
the company plans to release 31 new and returning original series, two dozen
original feature films and documentaries, as well as its own stand-up comedy
specials and 30 original children's programs.
Netflix is
ahead of key rivals in streaming such as Amazon and Hulu, which have also begun
to produce original content.
The rapid
expansion is likely to impact the bottom line at Netflix. In its most recent
quarterly update, the company said that it expects "to run around
break-even through 2016 and to deliver material profits thereafter."
For the
third quarter, Netflix posted a net profit of $29.4 million on revenues of $1.7
billion. While revenues grew 23 percent from a year ago, profits were halved.
Netflix
raised prices in the US and several other countries in the past year, saying it
was needed "to improve our ability to acquire and offer high quality
content."
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