Netflix Officially Launches In India And 130 New Countries

Company CEO Reed Hastings announced that Netflix is now available around the world.

Hastings said that Netflix’s goal is to “provide a simple and affordable way to enjoy a great story” – a task that represents a big task on a global scale given content rights and e-commerce payment systems.

Netflix Inc. began the year with more than 70 million subscribers and management had already vowed to spend about $5 billion this year licensing video from studios around the world.

Also on stage was chief content officer Ted Sarandos, ready to show off exclusive clips of Netflix originals The Crown and The Get Down, while firing shots at the “slice and dice” nature of worldwide movie and television rights developed by the “linear TV” business of its rivals.

“Today you are witnessing the birth of a new global Internet TV network”, said Reed Hastings.

There was more than 42.5 billion hours of streaming on Netflix in 2015, according to Hastings.

Netflix has come up with a formula that has proven addictive as its service has transformed the entertainment industry by allowing people to watch video anytime they want on an Internet-connected device. That slate encompasses more than 50 exclusive TV shows and movies, including award-winning series such as “House of Cards” and “Orange Is the New Black”.

Netflix says it is still “exploring options” for a China launch, and it will not be able to launch in North Korea, Crimea and Syria “due to USA government restrictions on American companies”. The stock surged as Netflix went live in 130 new countries, including Russia, Poland and Singapore, during his presentation.

For a full list of countries and territories where Netflix is now available, see here. Netflix will produce original series in French, Italian and Portuguese next year.

Arnett in particular has a long history of being involved with Netflix’s original content projects.