14 DAY TRIAL // The music streaming market is booming, but not in terms of revenue. For video streaming, the general feel is much of the same. There are some initiatives, some more promising than others, but it’s still early in the game. And this is for a few developed markets; the picture is a lot less pretty for much of the world. But things are moving, albeit slowly.
Netflix, one of the main players in the space is now extending its streaming product internationally and will start offering Netflix subscriptions in Canada.
Netflix still makes the bulk of its revenue from DVD rentals and that part of the business is staying US-only. However, the company has been moving rather aggressively into the video streaming space and has secured several valuable deals with hardware manufacturers.
“Canadian Netflix members will be able to instantly watch a broad array of movies and TV episodes right on their TVs via a range of consumer electronics devices capable of streaming from Netflix, as well as watching on PCs and Macs,” Netflix said in a statement. “In addition to representing its inaugural international market, Canada will also mark the first streaming-only service promoted by Netflix. At the time of launch, the Netflix Canadian service will be available in English only, but the company said it expects to add French language capability over time,” it continued.
The service will go live in fall, but Netflix is yet to specify pricing other than “one low monthly fee.” Subscriptions in the US start at $9 per month, but these include DVD rentals. There are no details on the size of the catalog of titles on offer. Those interested can visit Netflix.ca to sign up to receive a notification email. The company has said that it has no plans to expand elsewhere this year.