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Netflix faces data hurdle in SA, say Fin24 users

Johannesburg - Bandwidth prices in South Africa are a stumbling block for some Fin24 users wanting to use internet video service Netflix.

Last week, Netflix launched in South Africa as part of its expansion to 130 countries.

The service costs $7.99 per month - about R132 according to the latest rand-dollar exchange rate at the time of writing.

While Netflix has acknowledged that some global content rights prevent it from having shows such as House of Cards on its catalog, the company said that it plans to expand its range of content for South Africans.

And last week, some Fin24 users said they planned to cut the cord and cancel their DStv subscriptions after Netflix launched locally.

READ: Fin24 users considering dumping DStv for Netflix

But other Fin24 users - who may be keen on signing up for Netflix - say that local data charges need to fall first before they sign up for Netflix.

Fin24 user Sipho wrote:

They seem to forget the huge data bill one will incur to stream movies. I would not sign for this unless I had an unlimited data plan and the cheapest being around R1 500 this makes no sense at all.

Fin24 user Mike Campbell wrote:

Data costs remain too high. Netflix is affordable, but data remains unaffordable.

Fin24 user Pukani said:

South Africa still has crazy data charges. It would be nice to be part of the global village but some of us will have to wait a bit longer.

Fin24 user Arnold said that Netflix, in his view, is only feasible on an uncapped data package:

As soon as I can get Telkom Uncapped LTE in my area, I will get Netflix as well as Showmax.

Right now, with a cap on data, it is not feasible. Even though Showmax is zero rated with Telkom, their content lags behind Netflix.

Fin24 user Igantius said:

Well, online content is a great idea and you can select what to watch whenever you want. The biggest stumbling block for local SA users is the cost of data coupled with the download speeds. The service is peanuts but the cost of data for the many downloads will be a killer. For that reason I will not be going onto the service.

Fin24 user Beverly wrote:

Yes if it offers a better service than ShowMax. At the moment I pay R99 a month, BUT have to use data to view movies. It is expensive to buy the data. I don't have WiFi.

Fin24 user Mark also said that data costs and availability are a big consideration for him:

For me the big issue is bandwidth usage and affordability. I am a mobile user and data costs are a big issue. Whichever video on demand service offers the best value for money (including bandwidth costs) will get my business.

*Fin24 and ShowMax are part of Naspers.

Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on Fin24 have been independently written by members of the Fin24 community. The views of users published on Fin24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent those of Fin24.

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