CES 2016: Netflix Adds 130 Countries, More Original Content
On Wednesday, Netflix announced that it has turned its services "on" in 130 new countries in the world. The service now reaches an incredible 190 countries.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings took the stage at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to detail the company's massive global reach, TechRadar reports.
Content on the platform now can be seen in countries like India, Russia, Vietnam, Nigeria, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey and Indonesia, according to Hollywood Reporter.
Netflix programs and movies are still not available in China, but the company is working on finding a way to bring content to the Asian country of over 1 billion people. North Korea, Crimea and Syria are among countries that will be harder to enter.
Hastings boasted that Netflix has increased viewership year-over-year by 50 percent. He also explained that the company plans to invest heavily in new programming, with an expected $5 billion to be spent in the coming year.
New seasons of "Orange Is the New Black" and "Daredevil" are on their way this year, along with new shows like the thriller "Gypsy."
Netflix has made global presence a key goal. In 2015, it added service to countries like Spain, Japan and Australia. Electronics company LG will help Netflix expand to more countries, especially in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, with prepaid access to the streaming content.
Meanwhile, Netflix's stock surged in 2015, jumping 144 percent. The company was also the leading entertainment or media stock for the year.
Netflix started as a company that mailed out DVDs to customers for a monthly fee, but it has transformed into an online, on-demand service that is available on computers, Smart TVs and video game systems.