Netflix launches in UK
Streaming video service arrives in UK to do battle with LOVEFiLM – with a one month free trial
Video streaming service Netflix arrives in the UK and Ireland today, priced at £5.99 a month in the UK and €6.99 a month in Ireland.
That monthly fee gets you access to unlimited streaming from Netflix’s library of films and TV shows.
Netflix’s library includes programmes from All3Media, the BBC, CBS, Disney, 4oD, ITV, Lionsgate, MGM, Miramax, Momentum Pictures, NBC Universal, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 20th Century Fox and Viacom International Media Networks.
Titles available at launch include The Expendables, Sin Nombre and Kidulthood – sadly they also include Robocop 3 and the risible Danny Dyer vehicle Pimp. Netflix is currently beavering away securing deals for more programming, and has snapped up some big hitters for further down the line – including the first-run rights to Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit.
Netflix will initially be available on the iPhone, iPad and Android tablets and smartphones, as well as the Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It’s also available on LG Blu-ray players and home theatre systems and Samsung’s Smart TV. Nintendo 3DS owners are out of luck – Netflix is available on Ninty’s handheld in the US, but not in the UK for the time being.
Expect Netflix to hit Google TV, Roku and Amazon Kindle Fire when they arrive on our shores. Unlike the US service – and its nearest rival, Amazon’s LOVEFiLM – Netflix’s UK offering doesn’t include DVDs.
Adaptive streaming will compensate for slower connections or low bandwith by switching to a lower-quality stream. On a good connection you’ll be able to watch Netflix films and shows in 1080p HD resolution.
Fancy giving it a try? Head over to Netflix for a one-month free trial.
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Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
