Netflix, less than one week into a rate hike that’s drawn the ire of U.S. subscribers, is taking its OTT video service to 43 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The subscription-video service went live in Brazil Monday and launches in another 40+ nations by Sept. 12. Brazilians can sample the service free for one month. First announced earlier this summer, it’s the first venture outside of North America for Netflix, which launched in Canada one year ago.
"We are excited to be bringing Netflix to Latin America and the Caribbean," said Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix. "People throughout the region are online in ever-greater numbers and they love movies and TV shows. We are proud to bring them the Netflix experience of instantly enjoying as many movies and TV shows as they want, when they want for one low price."
Video from Netflix is available on a variety of devices, including computers, game consoles and smart TVs. The Portuguese-language version will cost Brazilians $15 per month ($9 U.S.). The Spanish-language version of the streaming service hits Argentina (39 pesos or $9.25 U.S. per month), Paraguay and Uruguay ($8 U.S.) on Wednesday.
Chile and Bolivia debut on Thursday at similar prices, followed by Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Ecuador on Friday. Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean will get their first look at Netflix on Monday, Sept. 12. The service in the Caribbean will be available in both English and Spanish.
This might be just the beginning of a global expansion for Netflix. The company is widely expected to expand to parts of Europe in early 2012. On Sept. 1, the company enacted a 60 percent rate hike on its DVD+streaming service in the U.S., something it surely hopes drops off the front page with this latest announcement.
