TORONTO – Internet movie subscription service Netflix launched in Canada on Wednesday morning with a streaming-only service priced at $7.99 a month.
As part of the launch, Netflix also announced Canadian license agreements with major motion picture studios such as Lionsgate, MGM Studios, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox and Universal Pictures, as well as Canadian distributors Alliance Films, Maple Pictures, eOne and Mongrel.
Canadian Netflix members can choose from thousands of movies and TV episodes, including feature films, TV series, independent cinema, documentaries, foreign language movies, and kids’ programming. Choices are instantly streamed to TVs and computers via a broadband Internet connection, and members are able to watch as much as they want, whenever they want, the company said.
"With our launch today in Canada, Netflix is focused on adding meaningfully to the entertainment choices available to Canadian consumers," said co-founder and CEO, Reed Hastings, at the launch event in Toronto. "Convenience, selection and value are at the heart of the Netflix service, and it is our hope that this resonates with Canadians."
Netflix content can be viewed over consumer electronics devices such as Nintendo’s Wii home console and Sony’s PlayStation 3 (PS3), and, later this Fall, on Microsoft’s Xbox 360. In addition, Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod touch can now stream from Netflix in Canada, as can Blu-ray disc players from Samsung and Toshiba, not to mention most PCs and Macs.
The company said that more devices capable of streaming from Netflix will be added in Canada, including Blu-ray disc players from VIZIO and Insignia, Internet TVs from Samsung, and Apple TV, once it is introduced here.
The Canadian launch marks the first availability of the Netflix service outside the United States. The Canadian service will initially be available in English only, but the company said that it expects to add French language capability over time. It encouraged potential customers to sign up for a free, one month trial on its website.
