Netflix Canada finally launches north of the border

by Steven Mostyn - Sep 22 2010, 17:13

It's been a long time coming – those pesky Americans have had it for ages – but popular streaming service Netflix has finally launched in Canada, offering customers north of the border instant access to thousands of hit movies and TV shows.

Subscription based, the Netflix service costs $7.99 CAD per month, for which customers get unlimited access to its wealth of streamed content. And, if not immediately drawn to the subscription model, there's also a free one-month trial period with which to whet the appetite.

“With our launch today in Canada, Neflix is focused on adding meaningfully to the entertainment choices available to Canadian consumers,” outlined co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings in an official statement. “Convenience, selection and value are at the heart of the Netflix service, and it is our hope that this resonates with Canadians.”

Not just limited to offering major Hollywood releases and award-winning television shows, Netflix also carries independent movies, documentaries, foreign language films, and a variety of programming for the kids – all streamed directly to a waiting TV, PC or Mac computer via a broadband Internet connection.

Existing Netflix-compatible devices include the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 videogame consoles (the Xbox 360 will play host before the end of 2010), along with Blu-ray disc players from the likes of Samsung and Toshiba. Outside the home, mobile devices such as the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch also support Netflix streaming.

Some of the content highlights users in Canada can look forward to include hit films like Superbad, A Beautiful Mind, Elizabeth and Slumdog Millionaire, along with first-run titles such as (500) Days of Summer, My Life in Ruins, All About Steve and Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Heavyweight TV content is led by the likes of Mad Men, Rescue Me, Monk, Trailer Park Boys, Running Wilde, Mythbusters, SpongeBob SquarePants, Robin Hood and Fawlty Towers.

The arrival of Netflix in Canada is the very first time the company's online streaming component has moved beyond the United States.

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