Netflix big guns have already arrived in Australia for the launch which takes place at the Museum of Contemporary Art tomorrow.
Darryl Hannah spent yesterday on Sydney Harbour with a bunch of US TV stars.
Also in town are True Blood star Deborah Ann Woll, Orange Is The New Black’s Uzo Aduba, Downton Abbey’s Charlie Cox, Lorenzo Richelmy and Jennette McCurdy.
The visitors used luxury yacht Ghost II to cruise the harbour ahead of the big launch.
Netflix monthly pricing options include:
. Single-stream standard definition plan for AU $8.99
. Two-stream high-definition plan for AU $11.99
. Four-stream 4K ultra-high definition “family” plan for AU $14.99
A free, one-month trial of Netflix will be available to all new members signing up at www.Netflix.com.
Starting Tuesday, members can catch up on seasons one and two of Orange is the New Black, in advance of season three’s global premiere on June 12, where Australians will also find the entire new season on Netflix the same day it’s available around the world.
Netflix will also be the exclusive premiere home for season three of the political drama, House of Cards.
Netflix members will be able to instantly watch an array of Netflix original series, stand-up comedy specials and documentaries, including the family thriller, Bloodline, starring Ben Mendelsohn, Sissy Spacek and Kyle Chandler; the epic adventure story of Marco Polo; the sharp and witty Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; Chelsea Handler: Uganda Be Kidding Me Live; Aussie comedian Jim Jefferies: Bare; DreamWorks Animation’s The Adventures of Puss in Boots; and the Academy Award-nominated documentary Virunga, among others.
In the coming months, Netflix members will exclusively enjoy the gritty action drama Marvel’s Daredevil; the dramatic thriller Sense8, the highly-anticipated movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II: The Green Destiny and comedy series Grace and Frankie.
At launch and beyond, members can enjoy an exciting range of exclusive and licensed content from many of the world’s leading distributors including Warner Bros., BBC, FOX, NBC Universal, Village Roadshow Entertainment, Beyond Distribution, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and The Walt Disney Company.
Netflix claim they will provide an unbeatable entertainment experience for great value with many titles available in high-definition, Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound and Ultra HD 4K, where available. Members can stream on nearly any Internet-connected screen including smart televisions, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and Apple iOS, Windows and Android tablets and smartphones. Data charges may apply for mobile and home broadband connections.
The service also will be available on Fetch TV’s second-generation set-top box. Film and TV fans can also access Netflix on game consoles, including Sony’s PlayStation 3 (PS3T) and PlayStation 4 (PS4T), Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Xbox One, and Nintendo’s Wii U.
Consumers also will be able to purchase Netflix gift cards in denominations of $20, $30 and $50 at participating Australian retailers, including Woolworths, Coles, Big W, EB Games, 7-Eleven, Australia Post and Officeworks.
Consumers in Australia can find the latest updates on Netflix content and social happenings via the company’s local Twitter and Instagram (@NetflixANZ), Facebook (www.facebook.com/NetflixANZ) and Tumblr (NetflixANZ) accounts.
TV brands are set to benefit from the arrival of Netflix include LG, Samsung, Sony, Hisense, Panasonic and set top brands such as Fetch TV are set to deliver a Netflix interface on their devices so that consumers can log in for the $10 a month service. The service will also be available on Microsoft’s Xbox and Google’s Chromecast.
Foxtel who could be the biggest loser following Netflix’s decision to enter the Australian market last week rolled out their new iQ3 set top box which the Company has been promising for three years.
Foxtel who has had a monopoly for more than 20 years in the pat TV market is set to use their partners News Corporation and Telstra to muddy the water for Netflix. Nine Entertainment who are trying to get consumers interested in their Stan streaming service has spent millions during the past two months spruiking consumers ahead of the Netflix launch, supporting Stan is part shareholder Fairfax Media while Seven Media is getting behind Presto which is also part owned by Foxtel shareholders.
Telstra is also tipped to announce new streaming deals for customers as both Presto and Stan hype their direct response marketing.
Foxtel’s new iQ3 personal video recorder was built to handle streaming content.
The problem that Foxtel face is that revenues could fall as consumers dump their service which is among the most expensive in the world.
Because of their monopoly and their stranglehold on sport Foxtel has been able to charge up to $150 for a total package. The Company even charges to get Full HD content despite most TV’s being Full HD today along with the content they are putting to air
On Monday Foxtel is set to reveal more features about their set top box.
Last week Netflix acquired popular Chinese drama Empresses in the Palace for its U.S. service however insiders are tipping that the highly popular series could be aired in Australia which has a big Chinese community.
Netflix plan to cut down the original series’ 76 45-minute episodes into six 90-minute episodes.
The show, which first aired in China as well as several other Asian countries in 2011, follows the intrigues among the emperor’s concubines in the imperial palace of the Qing Dynasty.
Netflix and LeTV the maker of the series met last week to begin discussing ways in which the two companies can collaborate moving forward.
One particular area of interest will be with the international rollout of LeTV Cloud.
LeTV has big ambitions for its cloud platform: In January this year it said it had closed a deal with Microsoft to work closely together to build a global platform based on Microsoft’s cloud platform, integrating LeTV’s video cloud computing service with Microsoft’s media service Windows Azure.
Analysts claim that the potential partnership with Netflix could offer plenty of synergies.
The Wall Street Journal said that as one of China’s leading online video platforms, LeTV would make a natural partner in the Middle Kingdom for Ted Sarandos’ ambitious disrupter.
Netflix’s chief content officer has been vocal in his desire to see Netflix expand into China although has been keen to stress the company’s desire to do so without a local partner.
In the US Netflix announced a new line-up of programs, most of these programs are set to be available on the Australian service. One film that shouldn’t be missed is the first instalment in the “Underworld” series, starring Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, and Bill Sighy.
Beckinsale plays Selene, a vampire warrior who is caught in the middle of a war between the vampires and the werewolves. Though she’s firmly with the vampires, she unexpectedly falls in love with Michael, a human who is hunted by werewolves for unknown reasons.
A recent release on Netflix’s list is “Noah,” a retelling of the Bible story starring Australian Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, and Anthony Hopkins.
In the movie, Noah is chosen by God to undertake a mission before a flood cleanses the world.
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