Rejoice, ye citizens of the cord-cutting world, for Netflix has just announced that even more individuals will have the opportunity to swear fealty to Frank Underwood and Jessica Jones, as the streaming company has added 130 countries to its empire—er, network—bringing the total to 190. Netflix CEO and co-founder Reed Hastings exulted in the company’s expansion, known colloquially as “global domination and chill,” during a keynote speech at CES 2016, the global consumer electronics and technology trade show.
“Today you are witnessing the birth of a new global Internet TV network,” Hastings (presumably) cackled while watching as the number of people logging in to watch Master Of None skyrocketed. “With this launch, consumers around the world—from Singapore to St. Petersburg, from San Francisco to Sao Paulo—will be able to enjoy TV shows and movies simultaneously—no more waiting.” At press time, the erotic journey from Milan to Minsk remains relegated to Hulu.
Though it seems like just yesterday that Netflix was bravely squaring off against porn for guests’ attention in Marriott hotels, it’s now “looking forward to bringing great stories from all over the world to people all over the world.” Netflix isn’t yet available in China, but talks are ongoing, which is presumably part of the reason why the company added Simplified and Traditional Chinese to its list of supported languages. But once China is finally welcomed into the fold, we can probably expect to see Netflix set up outposts on Mars or at the International Space Station.
Variety notes that, in a post-keynote speech, Hastings admitted that the move into new markets would probably result in sanitized versions of some of its content, similar to the edited versions of TV shows and movies that are screened by airlines. Chief Content Officer Ted Sarantos was quick to point out that this is a problem that Hollywood has struggled with for years, which is presumably how Uma Thurman ended up driving a “Party Wagon” in Kill Bill. Hastings said that Netflix will take “local cultural sensibilities” into account and is prepared to compromise wherever necessary.
[h/t Coming Soon]