Thursday, January 7, 2016

Netflix arrives in the Philippines



MANILA - Video streaming giant Netflix grew bigger as it becomes available worldwide.

CEO Reed Hashtings announced during a Consumer Elecronics Show tech show Las Vegas on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) that Netflix is now available in 130 countries across the globe, including the Philippines.

In the Philippines, monthly rates are at P370 (basic), P460 (standard) to P550 (premium), depending on the plan a consumer wants.



Netflix offers over 100 million hours of of TV shows, movies and documentaries, original series such as "Marvel’s Daredevil" and "Marvel’s Jessica Jones".

In 2016, Netflix said it plans to release 31 new and returning original series,

FULL LIST: Netflix premiere dates

Netflix enables a consumer to watch in standard definition (SD), high definition (HD) or ultra HD (UHD) from any Internet-connected device such as computers and laptops, smart phones, tablets devices, and smart TVs.

The Philippines' Internet speed average 3.64 megabits per second (Mbps), which is still within the minimum requirement of Netflix at 0.5 Mbps.

However, HD availability is subject to the Internet service and device capabilities.

Netflix's recommended internet speed for those who want to watch in HD is at least 5.0 Mbps.




Recommended Internet speed, meanwhile, for those who have 4K TV, which play UHD-quality videos, is at least 25 Mbps.



Existing international video streaming services in the Philippines include iflix, which offers over 10,000 hours of shows at a monthly rate of P129; and HOOQ, which offers over 30,000 hours of shows at P149.

iflix is a partnership between Catcha Group and Evolution Media Capital. It is offered in the Philippines by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and its mobile services subsidiary, Smart Communications. Meanwhile, HOOQ is a Singapore-based company that is exclusively offered in the Philippines by Globe Telecom.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com