Netflix is now available nearly every where in the world after the on-demand internet streaming service launched simultaneously in 130 countries.
Co-founder and chief executive Reed Hastings announced the surprise expansion at CES 2016, and shares in the company quickly rose by 9%.
Netflix, which currently has nearly 70 million subscribers, is now on offer in 190 countries around the world, including India, Russia and Indonesia.
“Today you are witnessing the birth of a new global internet TV network,” Hastings said at CES.
“With the help of the internet, we are putting power in consumers’ hands to watch whenever, wherever and on whatever device.”
It’s a big shift from Netflix’s previous gradual and targeted expansions into new countries, with the service becoming available in Australia nearly a year ago.
There are now only few countries where Netflix isn’t on offer, with China proving a notable exception, while it is also unavailable in Crimea, North Korea and Syria due to US government restrictions.
Despite becoming a “global internet TV network”, content will still differ drastically from country-to-country due to licencing.
“We’re looking forward to bringing great stories from all over the world to people all over the world,” Hastings said.
Denham Sadler is a freelance journalist based in Melbourne.
