Netflix Confirms Launch Date For Australian Service

19 November 2014 | 1:43 pm | Staff Writer

[delighted squeal]

After an excruciating year-long build-up, US-based subscription streaming video service Netflix has at last announced an official launch month for its product Down Under, opening up to easier antipodean access from March next year.

According to Fairfax Media, among the launch titles will be cult-favourite, self-financed animated series BoJack Horseman, as well as fellow in-house production Marco Polo and Dreamworks property All Hail King Julien, as well as docos Virunga and Mission Blue and a series of comedy specials: Uganda Be Kidding Me, Live From Chelsea Handler and Jim Jeffries' Bare. Consequent expansion of the library will see more Netflix-produced series, such as Marvel's Daredevil, Bloodline and Grace And Frankie (which comes from the co-creator of Friends.

Although the service will hold exclusive rights to Fox's Bat-verse origin series, Gotham, the show's deal with local broadcaster Channel Nine — through which the Aussie station holds broadcast, first-run and catch-up rights — means Netflix users won't see its seasons appear here until a year after their original airing (which, you know, Australians should be used to thanks to years of free-to-air and pay-TV lag).

Reports indicate that this may be a running theme with several shows that have exclusivity deals with local providers, including Foxtel drawcard Game Of Thrones, leaving some commentators wondering about the possible depth of the Aussie catalogue in comparison to the native US library.

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Regardless, Netflix is confident in its ability to shake up the local entertainment status quo.

"Australia and New Zealand have been a long time coming for us," Netflix corporate communications and technology director Cliff Edwards told Fairfax. "Both countries are great locations for us; we know that people have been very enthusiastic with us not in the country and we hope that enthusiasm will grow when we launch in March."

Netflix has not yet publicised its full content library, nor expected pricing strategy, though the service costs less than $US10 a month in its home country, so fingers crossed for a reasonable corresponding rate in Australia.

Netflix's announcement comes in the wake of the revelation of Nine and Fairfax's joint streaming initiative, Stan, while Fairfax reports that Seven West Media is apparently in talks with Foxtel about a streaming pursuit of their own. For its part, Foxtel has also boldly moved to head off competition from the newcomer, having last month gutted its basic monthly price down to an actually-pretty-reasonable $25, as well as earlier reducing the price of Presto, its movie-streaming service, and reportedly looking into options to include TV shows on that platform as well.

After years without choice, Australians may finally be able to have it all — at least, entertainment-wise — in 2015, and that's nothing but a good thing for the viewing public.