News
OTT video player still working on how it can get into China.
Netflix expanded its presence in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, launching its Internet video service in a further 130 countries simultaneously.
Until this week, the U.S.-based company offered services in 60 countries and boasted 69.2 million subscribers at the end of September 2015.
"Netflix is now truly the first global online video service," said Paolo Pescatore, director of multiplay and media at CCS Insight, in a research note.
Netflix’s expansion not only lays down the gauntlet to the likes of Amazon, he said, but it also increases the chances of the company becoming a takeover target, "given its firm presence in households – especially in the living room – and more importantly a deep understanding of consumers’ behaviour and attitudes to video."
Netflix has also added Arabic, Korean, and simplified and traditional Chinese to the 17 languages it currently supports.
However, there is still one noticeably large hole in Netflix’s coverage map: China.
In a statement issued during CES in Las Vegas, Netflix said "the company continues to explore options for providing the service" in China.
Even if Netflix does find a way into China, it might face stiff competition there. In June, Beijing Gehua CATV Network announced a plan to form a joint venture tasked with extending its streaming video service nationwide via partnerships with local cable providers.
Meanwhile, Netflix is also absent from North Korea, the Crimea, and Syria, "due to U.S. government restrictions on American companies," the company said.
