The popular on-line movie rental service Netflix will begin offering service to Canada later this year, reports CTV News.
The service will allow Canadians to stream an unlimited number of movies and television shows to their TVs or computers for a monthly fee.
The company did not announce the cost of the service but has set up a website at www.netflix.ca for Canadian updates.
The Canadian launch will be the company’s first international venture. Netflix’s initial launch will be in English only, but expects to add a French service in the future.
The company has 13 million subscribers in the U.S.
Tech consultant Marc Saltzman said that Netflix will bring a “buffet-style” approach to movies in Canada.
“We don’t really have a service like this,” he told CTV News Channel, adding that Netflix allows users to pause films and pick them up later on different devices.
“You can even resume that on another device like a laptop or an iPod … it knows where you’ve left off,” he said.
In the U.S., Netflix’s mail order business handles the latest releases, while the streaming service offers older movies and TV shows.
However, the mail order business won’t be coming to Canada, meaning the latest releases won’t be available, he added.
Hurrah! I’ve been waiting for something like this for years. I will subscribe (assuming the pricing and selection are decent).