The big point of discussion when Netflix Australia launched yesterday was how much content it offered compared to Netflix US. DNS spoofing service UnoTelly has counted how many shows Netflix Australia offers, and it turns out we have less than one-sixth of what’s available in the US.
UnoTelly calculates that Netflix US offers 7200 unique titles. Netflix Australia has approximately 1120. Interestingly, New Zealand has 1149 — a very slight improvement on what Aussies get.
It’s also worth noting that Netflix US itself does have gaps which other Netflix territories can fill. The total number of unique titles across Netflix is 13,863 — so whatever country you’re based in, being able to switch via a VPN will give you the broadest range of choices.
Those numbers aren’t static, of course; it’s likely that the volume on the Australian service will improve, especially when existing content contracts expire. But that gap will take some time to fill up.
It’s clear from yesterday that reactions to Netflix’s Australian launch fall into two camps. People who have already been using Netflix via VPN aren’t impressed with the reduced range in Australia, and are likely to stick with the US service. People who haven’t ever tried Netflix are finding plenty to watch — even 1100 titles is going to keep you busy for a very long time.
Comments
51 responses to “Netflix US Has Six Times As Much Content As Netflix Australia”
is it unfair? absolutely. is it surprising? not in the slightest.
You mean just like with ITunes, Play, Spotify, ….? Bowl me over…
Isn’t Spotify the same here?
No, there are sometime songs that are “greyed out” and you cannot play them.
The most interesting part of this article was UnoTelly. Anyone using Unotelly?
Yes (but not for netflix) – inexpensive and reliable.
Personally, other than the “streaming is good” factor, I have no real interest in Netflix – season old TV and year old movies? I guess some people find that useful…
Can we not just be happy that Netflix is in Aus?
All i hear is people complaining about the amount of content compared to the US.
It only just launched, give it some time.
Also how much of the content in the US is absolute garbage? A vast majority.
Remember that Foxtel has exclusive rights to ALOT of shows due to it being the only player in Aus until now. When those agreements expire, you will see those shows moving to Netflix or others.
Explained this to the wife last night, made sense to her. Its been out for ONE DAY people!
I was also surprised and confused by the amount of Indian/Bollywood movies on there, nothing against them it’s just something I didn’t expect. I found some gems though so I guess that’s a good thing.
not sure about what bollywood/indian movies they offer but be aware that there are dozens (if not hundreds) of B-grade bollywood movies that are available for free on youtube through the official channels of licensees/distributors ..some of them may be older though (1960s-1990s)
A good 50%+ of the ‘foreign’ and ‘romance’ sections are Bollywood movies. There are a handful of European movies and a smattering of some Asian ones (I noticed Battle Royale and The Raid 2 there), but the bulk is specifically modern Indian movies.
if anything this should reflect poorly on the systems in place keeping netflix from distributing a larger portion of its content to the ANZ, that said they are charging more for less content, which again im sure they have to do due to the systems in place surrounding content in australia but a break on price for the lesser content would have been a nice nod, its still a good deal and better then watching ads with bonus tv show on free to air
Seriously, the fact we have it means I now have dozens if not hundreds of things to watch that I would have either pirated or considered too much effort to pirate. Now I can watch it all on a tablet while I lie in bed. Yes there are shows on US Netflix I’d love to have here and I assume they will come in time, but let’s not have a hissy about the numbers.
If you’ve been VPN-ing and the US is better, I’m really happy for you. Continue to VPN.
I’d say that people are probably less upset with the offering than they are with the visible symptom of the vile disease that infects the industry in Australia. It’s just another reminder to point to, that we are not even second-class citizens in the eyes of the film and TV industry, which they willingly, brazenly rub in our faces.
I wouldn’t call it pitchfork-worthy, but it takes some of the shine off what we have to see how insignificant it is by comparison.
And the complaining is very healthy and very useful. Because if we do what we’ve always done – settle for less – that’s exactly what we’ll continue to receive. Squeaky wheel gets the grease and all that.
Yep. I’m happy with it overall, but there’s no denying it’s crippled by bullshit. It’s not something that will just go away with time. I’m not going after Netflix about it because it’s not their fault there’s an established monopoly here, but it’s worth letting them know that there is demand for that content. Presto, Stan, Netflix, etc need to know there is demand in order to justify putting more pressure on the people actually selling exclusive rights. They need to make it clear that while they’re not willing to pay as much as Foxtel individually together they’re willing to pay a significant figure with the additional benefit of wider exposure on platforms that aren’t universally despised.
If these people were complaining that there was a hundred missing shows they don’t want to watch that’d be one thing, but there are some pretty significant gaps in the library. They’re not just nitpicking for the sake of complaining.
Couldn’t agree more. But I’m not surprised that most news outlets are already pointing out what is missing from our Netflix. Almost all the media outlets are owned buy companies that have invested interest in either Foxtel or Stan. Here’s an idea. Why not you let the people decided if Netflix AU is for them?
The size of content on offer dose not mean a better service or experience. I’m sure if you took everything on Netflix US and really look at what they offer. I’m sure you will find that a large amount of it is rubbish.
Im with you.
What people don’t talk about is if you pay for Netflix USA, you get a global account. I can access both at no extra cost. Add VPN and its still pretty good. Secondly as people have pointed out, I am sure the content will grow with time. Day 2 of the service, you can’t expect perfection.
I’m with @gaz on this one, after months of speculation Netflix is finally here in Australia and doesn’t require fiddly VPN’s etc to do so.
Sure it doesn’t have as much content but an interesting comparison would’ve been how many titles did netlflix launch with In the US?
If it was ever fiddly, you’re doing it wrong. Technology should Just Work.
Wikipedia states that when it originally launched (back in the DVD days, mind you), there were 100,000+ titles.
I’m happy they’re here – i’ll keep my US Account and Unotelly Account to switch regions.
Was great watching Netflix on the train home on mobile without a VPN.
Seriously, there is tons of content for the price, and now that netflix is in this market, they can start bidding for Australian rights on more shows once existing contract with Foxtel and the FTA networks expire.
Its not like Netflix has done this on purpose… The Aus media moguls have bought up the rights to most things here.
After a few more years in the market netflix will have the buying power to get these rights back when they expire but untill then people will have to suck it up.
Its a step in the right direction and there is more than enough content to keep us going for a bit , anyone that says they cant find something decent to watch isnt looking hard enough.
For the Modest price tag its a hell of a lot of content ! and will only get bigger as time goes on
It’s nice to have a DNS switching service, where I can change my Netflix store in a matter of seconds 🙂
Need to watch Better Call Saul the same day as it airs? Netflix UK.
Want to watch some Fresh Prince of Belair? Netflix Mexico
Feeling like watching some weird Swedish stuff? Netflix Sweden
NetflixAroundTheWorld.com
Or if you have multiple devices that can access Netflix connected to your TV, then you can do something like a PS4 for international content and an Apple TV for Australian content. Or event Apple TV with DNS settings for international, then Airplay from an Apple device for Australian content.
I would be interested to see a comparison with other countries catalogs at launch date, and see how they stack up. Has it taken Netflix a long time to get such large numbers in the United States, and if so, can we expect the number of available shows/movies to increase in a similar manner. those are the numbers i would like to see.
Either way I was pumped for Netflix’s arrival, and already watched 6 episodes of Brooklyn Nine Nine, the first episode of Firefly, and some random anime. As I said with the iPad, and will say when i plonk down my wad of cash for an Apple Watch; give it time, it will be awesome.
We’ve done a quick calculation, and there are about 15,000+ titles globally. Somewhere between 11-1200 in AU; 7200+ in US.
Let’s also remember this fact:
Netflix DID NOT have all this content at launch in the US either. It took time. For 9 dollars a month, what they’re offering is outstanding.
The problem with the US comparison is that the US was starting from scratch in an environment where exclusivity was never a huge deal thanks to the way their pay TV is distributed. Here they’re starting with more but each new show is a struggle and of those 6,000-ish bits of content most of them are blocked off for a reason rather than just not having had the chance to sit down and work something out yet.
Getting the rights to shows and movies when they were starting out wasn’t easy but it was a different set of lower hurdles.
It’s still a fair comparison, due to the fact that they’ve got an inbuilt market with foxtel to compete with. They’ve got a year or two to contend with with cruddy contracts til they get most of their decent programs back, such as Orange is the New Black and The Walking Dead etc. Even Netflix said they’re looking at a 5 year initial plan for Australia, it’s good they’re looking long term instead of being short sighted.
It’s not hopeless and even if it doesn’t go perfectly they’re clearly interested in being in it for the long haul, but that doesn’t make it a good comparison. In the US the shows weren’t so locked down. The networks wanted exclusivity but multiple regions and providers meant those sorts of deals cost more than they were worth. It might grow at the same rate, it might grow slower or faster, but the reasons behind the growth will be different. They have the benefit of being huge and having global sway now, but unlike their US release over here they’ll have to compete with an organisation that’s wrangled exclusivity almost by default for over a decade.
The US launch was all about establishing new relationships and making fresh deals. For the most part they were free to just go out there and work on expanding the library. The Australian launch on the other hand is all about working around and renegotiating existing agreements, most of which Netflix has no real control over. It’s much more of a waiting game.
Am I the one that found not a single one of my current shows available?
Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but none of the below shows are available with current content.
The Walking Dead
2 Broke Girls
Mike and Molly
The Big Bang Theory
Vikings (only first 2 seasons are available)
Helix
Grey’s Anatomy
Better Call Saul (I knew this wasn’t going to be there)
The Following
Black Sails
The Blacklist
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Banshee
Revenge
The Simpsons
Person of Interest
Criminal Minds
Empire
Modern Family
Not a single one. Zero. I have never used netflix before, so dont know if any of this content is available in the US or UK or any other region, but when a total of Zero of my current shows are on it, it doesn’t bode well for me wanting to keep the service or changing my current habits.
I don’t think Netflix is for you. If you are a person that needs week-to-week new episodes of hit TV shows… I don’t think ANY current streaming services are for you.
My concern is that none of these are on Netflix AU at ALL, except for Vikings. Since doing this I have also searched for seasons of stuff that isn’t currently showing and I can’t find any current shows on there, only things like Breaking Bad, House, Prison Break etc.. that are all finished. I dont mind waiting for some shows but the fact that basically none of the 40+ series (apart from the Netflix originals) that I watch each year are on the service, I just can’t see this changing anyone’s downloading habbits.
A bunch of those shows are premium cable e.g. Better Call Saul and Walking Dead. You’d still need to pony up for them even in the states. I’m not sure how much Stan bid for Better Call Saul, but it was probably a very expensive deal for them, and a feather in their cap. The rest you mentioned are broadcast TV (ABC, NBC, etc) which I doubt Netflix will seriously fight for, because they’re currently screening on FTA channels here.
I’m American and have subscribed to Netflix here for a long time and it’s always been the case that Netflix gets stuff about a year after it originally airs. For $8 or $9 a month you are not going to get stuff right away.
But I have no issue with watching something a year after it airs, if it was ever worth watching, it’ll still be worth watching a year from now and if I forget about it by then, well it can’t have been very important to begin with. Also, the time lag has a bonus of winnowing out the not-worthwhile stuff or shows that get cancelled on a cliffhanger, who needs the aggravation.
Netflix Australia has a worse library than Netflix US because there’s a lot more distributor competition in Australia, snapping up exclusives. In the US, the shows all go to Netflix or Amazon, so if I wanted to get eeeeverything, I could…for a big $20.
Australia will have to wait till Netflix destroys the competition before libraries consolidate and you end up with two or three surviving players in the market. I’m betting on Netflix, Amazon and either Google or Apple, with HBO Now as a premium add-on that doesn’t compete directly with the others.
Better Call Saul is available on UK Netflix, watched the latest episode last night there
The only new content is Netflix original content. If you want stuff asap, Netflix is not your answer.
None of my current shows were there either, but I feel that is unsurprising as a lot of those shows are currently tied to free to air or foxtel etc. Vikings S3 for example, is currently on SBS (and you can watch it and older eps too FREE at their on demand website.) SBS is also running older eps of Walking Dead on tv (the new season is held by foxtel I think?) And I could be wrong but I think a lot of the back catalogs for some of those are still held by free to air/foxtel too.
Netflix does has The Returned and Bloodlines with currently airing new eps. And I read somewhere we get Orange is the New Black not long after the US when it starts again. So that is at least something. Hopefully once the rights for the other shows lapse from free to air/foxtel then netflix can pick them up or something…
You might want to use a service like Hulu for current episodes, or consider some other alternatives such as VPN.
Is there a similar breakdown of content for Stan and Prestel?
Obviously these don’t have US services, but do we know roughly how many titles are available on these other services? Basically, which gives you the best bang for your buck in terms of titles offered per dollar paid?
unfortunately https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uNULszVQgyiHERkPRHz4PvEAFbBFiuMM8kcILvVw3VQ/ hasn’t been properly updated for a while
How many titles are currently on Stan and Presto? Anyone know?
Shouldn’t compare numbers, it’s illusory. Every one of these services is padded with things you will probably never watch (the number of Bollywood movies on Netflix comes to mind). Just write down a list of the shows you can’t live without, then compare on a case-by-cases basis.
Unless I can watch content on my laptop or device when I’m not at home (ie no wifi), I won’t be subscribing to any of these services.
I’ll continue to download the actual files.
I did a little experiment last night around this. I counted 28 items on my US Netflix list (I know, I should clear it down). I switched to the UK and 24 items showed up. I switched to Aus and only got 11 items. So yes it’s great that we now have Netflix here. Fantastic that there is some real choice (let’s face it, Stan, Presto et al have only appeared in the last few months since Netflix was rumoured). But for now, I’ll stick with my US account and every now and then I’ll check in on the Aus content to see what’s new. I do want to switch to an Aus account but for now, I’d be getting much less for a little bit more.
You can use these steps http://goo.gl/AcCrwm to unblock US Netlfix. Common knowledge this!
hola.org – Why hasnt their been an article on this yet? Access both UK and US netflix libraries easy as pie.
There is — http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/03/how-to-access-netflix-us-using-your-netflix-australia-account/ — and it’s actually linked in this article.
Right on.
Should not be glad that Netflix is accessible in Australia? On the other hand, somebody cannot access Netflix in Aus then why not they use VPN service. I just heard from people is crabby about the amount of content compared to the US. Sincerely, there is tons of content for the price, and now that Netflix is in this market. Here are some of the best Australia VPN services you can avail: bestvpnprovider[dot]com/australia-vpn/
Please someone answer this question for me. Why doesn’t Australia TV sell any of it’s TV shows to any other countries? Also on Australia Netflix there are no big hit Australia series, like Packed to the Rafters, Offspring and Seachange, available to watch. I usually find old Australian shows mentioned on IMDB and watch them on YouTube! This seems crazy for several reasons to me. The actors can make money from residuals, which I know no one gets in Australia. Which is sad.
The show can be enjoyed by millions of people not from Australia, like me. Finally whomever owns the show and sells them, make money. This is a mystery to me. What is this system you guys have?
NETFLIX, Ha, what a load of crap, yes they are crap and discusting in their content and literally take Aussies for a ride. I am pretty sure all the production for Australian viewers is from America via satellite, all payments for service go to America bank not Australia. Programs are just so bad and in very poor order, Ah, wrong word, MESS. Start watching what seems to be reasonable story line and it turns out to be a non-English or Documentary, it’s so badly organised I cannot beleive they actually put there shows to air, I never thought they were much when I could watch the American NETFLIX. They are just not worth the money at all, Oh the amount of 1 Season shows is a joke, they were no bloddy good in America and they stopped filming but NETFLIX buys them cheap and lets Australia suffer for their poor sence of being fare and honest