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Havana - Netflix launched its movie and TV streaming service in Cuba on Monday, joining the list of US companies looking to take advantage of thawing diplomatic relations between the US and the communist-ruled island country.
The US announced new rules on January 15 that will significantly ease sanctions on Cuba, opening up the island to expanded US travel, trade and financial activities.
Netflix said the service, starting at $7.99 per month, would be available to customers with international payment cards.
MasterCard has said it will allow its cards issued in the US to be used in Cuba, effective on March 1. American Express has also said it would launch operations in Cuba.
Netflix said on Monday that customers in Cuba would be able to watch a wide slate of shows including its own shows such as House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and Marco Polo.
SA expansion
The company said in January it would complete its expansion into 200 countries within two years, faster than expected, as it builds presence overseas while growth in the US slows.
Speculation has mounted that Netflix will soon begin services in SA but unlike a number of emerging markets, the streaming provider may face unique challenges in the country.
SA has already seen the adoption of streaming players including Vidi which offers streaming of movies and TV shows for R149 per month with an additional charge of renting new movie titles at R27.
DStv subscribers can also rent movies via the company's Box Office application for R27 each.
In addition mobile operator MTN is also rolling out a movie streaming service dubbed FrontRow, while telco Orange is engaged in local production of multimedia content offerings.
Perhaps the biggest challenge to Netflix operations in SA is the fact that the country has a poorly developed broadband infrastructure.
According to the former department of communications' presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Communications, in 2013, 33.3% of the South African population had internet access.
However, the department (now renamed the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services) submitted ambitious targets of 50% access at 5mbps by 2016, 90% by 2020, and 100% at 10mbps by 2030.
Netflix's streaming video service added 4.3 million subscribers in the fourth quarter, of which more than half were from outside the US.
The company said on Wednesday that it would launch its movie and TV streaming service in Japan in 2015.
