Los Gatos, Calif. — Netflix announced Thursday that its Canadian operation reached one million members in less than 10 months.
The company, which launched its service in Sept. 2010, offers Canadians online movie and TV show streaming. Although the cost is at $7.99 per month — a level that enraged customers when instituted in the U.S., since it represented a 60 percent increase — Canadian customers continue to flock to their service.
“Our focus remains on building up the breadth and range of movies and TV shows to watch instantly, as well as constantly improving the experience, and we look forward to welcoming many more new members,” said Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO, in a statement. “We’re thrilled that Canadians have embraced Netflix so rapidly, and we’re equally proud to have welcomed one million members in such a short period.”
There are some clouds as far as some subscribers are concerned, however, since a noticeable number of U.S. programs are not available in Canada.
“One of the most frustrating things about the service is that it shows you movies and TV available in the U.S., but then it tells you it’s not available in Canada,” Melissa Lukezic, a Canadian Netflix customer, told VentureBeat. “Also, one of my favorite shows, It’s Always in Sunny in Philadelphia, has never been available and that’s held me back.”
Netflix’s one millionth Canadian customer was Amanda Ball James from Flin Flon, a small mining town on the border between Manitoba and Saskatchewan. She was treated to a free lifetime subscription to the service.
Related Links:
Photo – John Candy (L) and Dan Aykroyd in Canadian Bacon, prod. by Michael Moore
http://tinyurl.com/3wf77ba (VentureBeat)
http://tinyurl.com/3s8rrm2 (Brandon Sun)
