Monday, 24 Oct 2011
US movie-streaming giant Netflix will launch in the UK and Ireland early next year.
The company, which operates a similar hybrid physical DVD and streaming TV and movie rental service as LoveFilm, will roll out the streaming part of its business in the UK.
The move means Netflix subscribers in the UK and Ireland will be able to stream movies from a range of devices including PCs, smartphones and tablets. In the US, the service is available on Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo games consoles, as well as web-connected TVs.
Netflix, which has a 25m-strong subscriber base, is yet to reveal details on pricing and what content will be available in the UK.
The news of its imminent UK launch follows news of Google’s UK movie expansion plans. It has now rolled out is UK movie rental service, bringing titles including The Dark Knight to YouTube, and extended the service to the Android market.
Meanwhile Amazon-owned LoveFilm has been aggressively pursuing its own expansion strategy, having launched on connected TVs, Sony’s PS3, Microsoft’s Xbox and Apple’s iPad.
UK-based TV and movie streaming service Blinkbox, acquired by Tesco earlier this year, has also launched on Xbox, PS3, and connected TVs
