On 6 January, online streaming giant Netflix announced that it had officially launched in an additional 130 countries including South Africa. According to the South African Netflix website, the service
will be available to users at US$7,99 (R126) per month, while a free one month trial
is available for use on a single screen.
Netflix is available on virtually any device that has an internet connection, including
personal computers, tablets, smartphones, Smart TVs and game consoles, and
automatically provides the best possible streaming quality based on available
bandwidth. Many titles, including Netflix original series and films, are available in
high-definition with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound and some in Ultra HD 4K.
Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings, who made the announcement, added that the
service would also start offering high dynamic range (HDR) content in 2016 and that
while largely available in English in most new countries, it had added Arabic and
Korean as well as simplified and traditional Chinese to the 17 languages it already supports.
“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.’
Netflix will not yet be available in China, though the company continues to explore
options for providing the service. It also won’t be available in Crimea, North Korea
and Syria due to U.S. government restrictions on American companies.
