Netflix went global this year, but that doesn’t mean users around the world will have the same experience. The number of titles available vastly differs worldwide — from more than 5,700 in the United States to a dismal 157 in Morocco.
Despite the fact that Canada was the first place the American company expanded to outside the U.S., it doesn’t even crack the top 10 for content, Exstreamist reports. There are 3,183 titles for streaming in Canada, which puts us behind French Guiana, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador, to name a few. There’s a theory that distribution costs are relatively cheap in South and Central America, which would explain why these countries dominate the top 10.
Netflix continues to offer the most titles in its home country, the United States. (Photo: Exstreamist)
Many Canadian subscribers — in fact, more than a third — have been using proxies and VPNs to access Netflix’s American catalog. The company went after these users in January, with reportedly mixed results.
Ownership rights have been a “logistical nightmare” for Netflix, Exstreamist said. Even some of their own original series, like “House of Cards,” can’t be made available around the world.
Netflix co-founder and chief executive Reed Hastings speaks at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nev. (Photo: Netflix handout)
The company went global in January, bringing its service to 130 new countries in one day. “Today you are witnessing the birth of a new global Internet TV network,” said co-founder and chief executive Reed Hastings. “With this launch, consumers around the world — from Singapore to St. Petersburg, from San Francisco to Sao Paulo — will be able to enjoy TV shows and movies simultaneously — no more waiting.”
Netflix still isn’t available in China, Syria, Crimea, and North Korea, the company said. But it is live in parts of Antarctica — and there are more titles available there than in places like France and Japan.
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