Local suitors have reportedly been told that Netflix wants to launch in Oz in the next 12 to 18 months. I wouldn’t be surprised. They’re expanding into Latin America this year, and here we are rolling out an NBN. But what would it mean for the likes of Bigpond Movies or Fetch TV?
Well, more competition for one. And as customers, that’s always a good thing. Fetch TV has teamed up with a range of ISPs (including iiNet, Internode and Optus); and the reason for that is unmetered downloads. The NBN may speed things up, but unlimited download plans are still (mostly) priced at a premium. Because of this, it’s likely that Netflix would follow a similar model to Fetch TV. Enter the hunt for a local ISP to hook up with.
I doubt it’d be Telstra: our biggest Telco seems too focused on T-Hub downloads and BigPond Movies (especially after selling its DVD mail rental biz to Quickflix). Digging deeper into streaming services, there’s also Sony Video On Demand by Qriocity and Foxtel on Xbox. Channel 9 is still trying to convince 7 and 10 to join an Australian Hulu, and even YouTube is renting movies.
So if Netflix arrived in Australia, it’d definitely shake things up. And we’d get to use streamers like the Boxee, Tivo and Xbox 360 the way they were intended! I’m all for that.
In the meantime: Five Best VPN Service Providers. [The Australian via Lifehacker]
Note: This one’s for you @aafuss 😉