#CES2016: Netflix now in East Africa

No photo availableCIO Africa authorByJeanette Oloo
3 min read

Pricing starts at US$8 a month, which currently translates to about Ksh. 820. But you can only (as yet) pay…

Netflix launched its service globally, simultaneously bringing its Internet TV
Netflix launched its service globally, simultaneously bringing its Internet TV network to more than 130 new countries around the world, Kenya being one of the many African countries to start enjoying all that it has to offer. The company made the announcement and the service went live during a keynote by Co-founder and Chief Executive Reed Hastings at CES 2016 in Las Vegas.

Pricing starts at US$8 a month, which currently translates to about Ksh. 820. But you can only (as yet) pay with Credit Card or with Paypal.

In Kenya today, leading financial institution – Kenya Commercial Bank and leading retail chain Nakumatt have jumped onto the bandwagon using social media to advise their clients and potential clients that it was now possible for them to use their credit cards to do purchases from Netflix

“Today you are witnessing the birth of a new global Internet TV network,” said Hastings. “With this launch, consumers around the world — from Singapore to St. Petersburg, from San Francisco to Sao Paulo — will be able to enjoy TV shows and movies simultaneously — no more waiting. With the help of the Internet, we are putting power in consumers’ hands to watch whenever, wherever and on whatever device.”

While largely available in English in most new countries, Netflix today added Arabic, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese to the 17 languages it already supports.

“From today onwards, we will listen and we will learn, gradually adding more languages, more content and more ways for people to engage with Netflix,” said Hastings. “We’re looking forward to bringing great stories from all over the world to people all over the world.”

Netflix will not yet be available in China, though the company continues to explore options for providing the service. It also won’t be available in Crimea, North Korea and Syria due to U.S. government restrictions on American companies.

Since Netflix launched its streaming service in 2007, the service has expanded globally, first to Canada, then to Latin America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan to include 60 countries.

Netflix is available on virtually any device that has an Internet connection, including personal computers, tablets, smartphones, Smart TVs and game consoles, and automatically provides the best possible streaming quality based on available bandwidth. Many titles, including Netflix original series and films, are available in high-definition with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound and some in Ultra HD 4K. Advanced recommendation technologies with up to five user profiles help members discover entertainment they’ll love.

Try Netflix for free for one month by signing up at www.netflix.com.

For a full list of countries and territories where Netflix is now available, see here. Photos from the Netflix CES keynote can be downloaded here. A video showcasing Netflix original content is available here.

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