Netflix this week announced plans to officially launch in Australia. For thousands, this is great news. For others — the ones that already have Netflix — it’s business as usual. New research has revealed just how many of us are jumping the virtual fence into the US to get that sweet streaming service on our Aussie screens.
Consumer group CHOICE did some internet and figured out that 684,000 households are paying for overseas streaming services including Netflix, Hulu, iTunes US or Vudu.
Of that, Netflix use made up almost half of the users, with 340,000 Australian households accessing it via a VPN service right now.
CHOICE specified that the research was conducted before Netflix announced plans to lift the geoblock on Australia, adding that the data shows 428,000 other households would likely take the service up via a VPN service in the next year.
Netflix could be onto a gold mine here, with 1 million Aussie streamers within 12 months. Giddy up!