Streaming giant Netflix today announced plans to launch in Australia and New Zealand in March 2015.
The service, which allows viewers to stream television and movies, will be available to subscribers on tablets, smartphones, computers, smart TVs, game consoles and set-top boxes.
Netflix will offer Australian users original series such as Marco Polo, BoJack Horseman, documentaries Virunga and Mission Blue, and stand-up comedy specials Uganda Be Kidding Me, Live, from Chelsea Handler and Jim Jefferies’s BARE, among many others, according to a company press release.
Netflix will showcase the thriller Bloodline starring Ben Mendelsohn, Kyle Chandler, Sissy Spacek, Linda Cardellini and Sam Shepard. The service has had great success with previous original series including Orange is the New Black and House of Cards.
Demand for the service is high outside the United States - with more than a quarter of its 53 million customers from countries other than the US.
The move comes as Netflix is looking to expand its international business to reach new viewers and increase its buying clout with content providers, according to Reuters.
No details of pricing are available yet, but in the US Netflix charges US$8.99 (AUD$10.30) for a monthly subscription.
Australians have previously accessed the service by claiming they live in the US. Recent estimates have put the figure of Australian subscribers at 200,000.
The market for video streaming is becoming increasingly crowded in Australia.
Just this month, streaming service Stan was launched as a joint venture between Nine and Fairfax.
The service has secured streaming rights to TV shows Breaking Bad and spin-off series Better Call Saul.
Foxtel last year launched its streaming service Foxtel Play, but was criticised for its price starting from $25 a month, and according to Mumbrella Networks Ten and Seven could be set to join the Presto movie streaming subscription service, a Foxtel subsidiary.
