LAS VEGAS – Netflix, the world’s leading video-streaming network, announced the launch of its services in Pakistan and 129 other countries.
The Netflix Pakistan website says users can watch TV shows and movies for $7.99 a month, with a free month offer.
The network would not be available in China, although it said the company continues to explore options for providing the service. Netflix noted in a statement that it “continues to explore options for providing the service” in China, the world’s most populous country, where the government censors online content it deems to be politically sensitive.
Netflix that launched its streaming service in 2007 has come a long way as it has expanded the service globally, first to Canada, then to Latin America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The company currently enjoys an Internet television network with over 70 million members.
Zinda Bhaag will be the first Pakistani film to be released on Netflix. The producers of the film are currently in the process of finalising a deal with internet streaming-media Netflix.
Mazhar Zaidi, the producer of the movie, told that Zinda Bhaag has already been made available on a similar platform, iTunes UK.
Members with a streaming-only plan will be able to watch instantly through the Netflix service. The movies and TV shows that are available to stream may vary by location, and will change from time to time. Shares of the company, whose popular shows include “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, “Daredevil” and “Narcos”, rose as much as 8.5 percent to $116.85, their highest one-day gain in more than four months.
Co-founder and Chief Executive Reed Hastings said, ‘India, Nigeria, Russia and Saudi Arabia were among the major countries where the service was launched.’
Netflix, whose services were available in more than 60 countries before Wednesday’s launch, had previously said it aimed to reach 200 countries by the end of 2016. However, all shows will not be available immediately to some Netflix fans. “We’re moving as quickly as we can to have global availability of all the content on Netflix,” Hastings said at a press conference after the keynote address.
US government restrictions on American companies mean Netflix will not be available in Crimea, North Korea and Syria.