Netflix is open for business in Australia, and there are some good surprises, as well as expected bad news.
Starting with the bad, the Australian Netflix library will have up to 7,000 less titles than the US library. An analysis performed by Sydney software developer Kenneth Tsang found that the Australian Netflix library may have only 1,300 titles, compared to the 8,500 found on the US Netflix site, or the 4,000 plus titles for Canadian Netflix. The lower number of titles at launch was largely expected, with Australian media providers such as Foxtel, as well as the free-to-air networks, having locked up the rights to many exclusives long before Netflix's Australian plans. The number of titles will also most likely change again as time goes by, and Netflix re-adjust the viewing library to suit Australian tastes.
Those that still want access to the superior US and Canadian library (as well as the local versions of Netflix from the UK, Mexico, and dozens of other countries) can sign up to a geo-unblocker services like Unblock-Us and use the service's region changing feature, which gives you instantaneous access to other region's Netflix library at will (this takes advantage of a Netflix feature that allows you to take your account with you on your travels, so you'll never miss out on the latest adventures of Crazy Eyes wherever you go).
With the bad news out of the way, all that's left is the good news! For starters, Netflix's Australian pricing has been made to be extremely competitive, and also catering to the limited nature of Australian broadband. Netflix will be able to offer their service GST free, and so starting at AU$ 8.99 for the "Basic" plan, taking into account exchange rates, Australia suddenly becomes one of the cheapest places to get Netflix. Of course, the $8.99 account does not include 4K streaming, and it can only support one stream at a time. For those seeking multi-device support, a $11.99 "Standard" plan comes with Ultra HD support and 2 simultaneous streams. For those with large families, a $14.99 "Premium" plan ups the simultaneous stream limit to 4.
Also good news for those with Optus or iiNet (and their subsidiaries, Internode, Westnet and Adam), as you'll not only get unmetered streaming for fixed line broadband customers, but new and renewing Optus customers also get a 6 month free "Standard" subscription (for a saving of $71.94).
For the rest of us, you can currently get Netflix's standard 30 day free trial.
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