Netflix goes global, adding 130 more countries to its network

At CES 2016 today Netflix announced – and launched – its streaming service globally, adding 130 new countries to its network for a total of 190 countries. China misses out, as does Syria, Crimea and North Korea, but people everywhere else can now legitimately text a friend to “Netflix and chill”.

As Netflix Chief Executive, Reed Hastings, announced, it is “the birth of a new global TV network. 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.”

You can try Netflix for one month for free by signing up here and enjoy the service on pretty much any internet-connected device, from smartphones and tablets to laptops and consoles. The service can be accessed by up to five user profiles and streaming quality will be automatically tuned to your available bandwidth. You can see a full list of supported countries here.

While Netflix is still investigating ways to provide the service in China, there might be some weird flashbacks to the early days of the service when it was still sending out DVDs. Due to a “complication” at a manufacturing plant, users received Chinese porn rather than President Clinton’s testimony in front of the Grand Jury on the whole Monica Lewinsky affair. This little mix-up may well have caused the original “Netflix and chill”.

Do you watch Netflix? What is your favorite show?