[News] Netflix Soon to Begin Streaming in NZ and Australia
Netflix will begin streaming in New Zealand and Australia on the 24th of March, the company announced last week. The launch timeframe seems to be on target with what the company said late last year, so they are off to a good start. However, we are yet to see how it competes with the current streaming providers in NZ: Quickflix, Neon, Lightbox etc.
Netflix have said that a couple of the season-favourites will be available on launch, like “House of Cards and family thriller Bloodline”.
In addition to Netflix original series including Marco Polo, the dramatic thriller Sense8; Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; Marvel’s Daredevil; DreamWorks Animation’s The Adventures of Puss in Boots and All Hail King Julien, and the Academy Award-nominated documentary Virunga, members will also enjoy an exciting range of exclusive and licensed content from many of the world’s leading distributors, including Roadshow Entertainment, Beyond Distribution, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and The Walt Disney Company.
At launch, Netflix will be available on smart televisions manufactured by Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Philips and HiSense, and Fetch TV’s second-generation set-top box. Film and TV fans can also access Netflix on game consoles, including Sony’s PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PlayStation 4 (PS4), Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Xbox One, and Nintendo’s Wii U, as well as Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and Apple and Android tablets and smartphones.
Consumer, the popular source for trusted independent consumer information in NZ, interviewed Neil Hunt, Chief Product Officer of Netflix, asking what happens to all those Kiwis who signed up to Netflix US via an un-geoblocking method. The response was as follows:
Well, when you sign up for a Netflix account your account is “global”, meaning that if you have a New Zealand account, but happen to sign into Netflix while you’re in the US, then you’ll get access to everything in the US and vice versa (which may be a rude shock for American users travelling here).
So New Zealand users with American Netflix accounts have nothing to fear in that regard. But if Netflix has its way, the discrepancy between what is offered in different countries will fade away. The plan is to merge everything into a global catalogue, removing differential distribution and release dates.”
Mobile users who sign up for specific plans offered by Vodafone in New Zealand will receive several months of prepaid service, whilst consumers purchasing Microsoft’s next generation console, the Xbox One, at select stores will receive three months prepaid access to the Netflix service.
From launch, consumers will be able to purchase Netflix gift cards in denominations of $20, $30 and $50 at participating Australian retailers, including Woolworths, Coles, Big W, 7-Eleven, Australia Post and Officeworks.
I don’t see any NZ retailers here. Does that mean that we can’t buy any gift cards at retail stores? Oh well.. we can buy them online then!
Netflix will offer a single-stream standard definition plan, two-stream high-definition plan and four-stream 4K ultra-high definition “family” plan. Details on monthly pricing will be available at launch.
Starting today, consumers in New Zealand and Australia can find the latest updates on Netflix content and social happenings via the company’s local Twitter and Instagram (@NetflixANZ), Facebook (www.facebook.com/NetflixANZ) and Tumblr (NetflixANZ) accounts.
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