The Average Cuba User Would Have to Spend Half Their Paycheck for a Netflix TV Shows and Movie Subscription
As economic and political relations between the United States and Cuba continue to get better and easier, Netflix, the Internet movie and television streaming service that also provides original programs, is ready to send its shows into the communist island country.
Netflix said its content will be available to anyone with international payment cards. The U.S. announced on Jan. 15 it had new rules that would help to taper off the decades-long sanctions, in place since 1962, against Cuba, thus allowing Netflix to be available in Cuba.
Netflix announced last month that its international expansion was proceeding ahead of schedule, BBC reports.The immediate plan for the company is to expand its services to 200 countries in the next two years and to earn "material profits" from its operations overseas by 2017.
"We are delighted to finally be able to offer Netflix to the people of Cuba, connecting them with stories they will love from all over the world," co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings said in a statement posted by Netflix. "Cuba has great filmmakers and a robust arts culture, and one day we hope to be able to bring their work to our global audience of over 57 million members."
In 2011, Netflix started offering its services in Latin America, and due to their expansion, the company can now boast over 5 million Latin members.
Interested Cubans will be able access all Netflix entertainment for a starting price of $7.99.
And as great as this might seem to a country that has been closed off from a majority of U.S.-based entertainment for generations, there might be a practical problem with getting most of Cuban citizens to sign up. As reported by the Register, currently only five per cent of the 11.27 million population has any access to fixed broadband connections.
Plus, according to the Cuba's National Statistics and Information Office the average Cuban monthly salary amounts to $17.77. So signing up for Netflix would be like signing away half a paycheck.
Meanwhile major credit card companies, such as MasterCard and American Express, are keen to get in on the coming economic opportunities; both card firms have stated they will launch operations in Cuba soon.
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