US streaming service Netflix now available in Ukraine
The renowned U.S. provider of on-demand Internet streaming media Netflix is expanding globally. On Jan. 6, it started offering services to about 130 new countries, including Ukraine, Russia, India, and more.
The subscription starts at 7.99 euros per month for users in Ukraine and other newly-added countries, with a free-month trial and cancellation at any time.
In a Jan. 6 statement announcing the expansion, the company said its strategy will bring the birth of a new global Internet TV network.
“With this launch, consumers around the world – from Singapore to St. Petersburg, from San Francisco to Sao Paulo – will be able to enjoy TV shows and movies simultaneously – no more waiting,”
the company said.
While the large part of its content is only available in English in the new countries, Netflix also added Arabic, Korean, 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,”
the company’s co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings said making a keynote speech in Las Vegas on Jan. 6.
Netflix allows to watch movies and TV shows online, without downloading them, on multiple devices. It works with platforms like Smart TV, PlayStation, Xbox, Chromecast, Apple TV, or through a free app on iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows phones and tablets.
The minimum required Internet connection speed for the service’s proper work is 0.5 megabits per second, which should pose no problem for Ukraine internet users.
The first month for new users is available in trial mode. Then one can choose the basic package for 7.99 euros, a standard rate for 9.99 euros or a premium one for 11.99 euros.
All subscriptions include unlimited access to the video, but the standard membership provides high-definition quality and the premium package – Ultra HD quality. The number of the screens a subscriber can watch on at the same time also varies depending on the membership plan.
Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials.
Netflix has already been interested in running its services in Ukraine, where the company registered its trade name on Aug. 27 in 2013.
In 2015, Netflix co-produced “Winter on Fire,” a documentary about Ukrainian EuroMaidan Revolution. It is short-listed for the 2016 Academy Awards.
Internet television network Netflix headquartered in Los Gatos was founded by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings in 1997. It started its subscription-based service in 1999. And, according to TechChurch, by 2009 Netflix was offering a collection of 100,000 titles on DVD and had surpassed 10 million subscribers.
In March 2011, Netflix started to produce its own original content for the streaming service and started working with famous movie studios, including Relativity Media, DreamWorks Animation, Open Road Films, The Weinstein Company, Pixar, Warner Bros and others. It produced a number of successful original shows, including “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black.”
Currently, according to the company’s press service, it has about 70 million members in over 190 countries considering to be the world’s leading Internet television network.
Source: Kyiv Post
