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Netflix Goes Global, Almost (Sorry, China)

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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LAS VEGAS—After starting its CES keynote in perhaps the most boring way ever—with an extended recap of what seemed like every milestone in the company's 19-year history—Netflix threw us a bone.

CES 2016 Bug ArtCEO Reed Hastings announced a huge international expansion that makes the streaming service almost global.

"While we have been on stage at CES, we switched Netflix on in Azerbaijan, Vietnam, India, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, and 130 new countries," Hastings announced. "Netflix has gone live in nearly every country of the world…except China...where we hope to be soon."

Netflix is also unavailable in regions like Syria, Crimea, and North Korea, the company said on Twitter.

Hastings said people all over the world—even in countries where Netflix has not been available—know about shows like Orange is the New Black and House of Cards. Now, many more will have the opportunity to (legally) watch them. As the company noted on Twitter, however, licensing agreements will affect the content you see in each country. Netflix is "still prisoners of territorial licensing [but is] moving quickly to have global availability of all content on Netflix," it said.

Netflix also added support for about 20 languages, including Arabic.

To celebrate the rollout, Netflix was joined at its CES keynote by celebrities like Chelsea Handler, Will Arnett, Kristen Ritter, and Wagner Moura, who discussed their respective Netflix shows.

Fast-talking Handler discussed her four-part documentary series airing on Netflix this year, which explores topics like racism, marriage, Silicon Valley, and drugs. She then took on the role of interviewer, questioning Netflix veteran Arnett (The BoJack Horseman and Arrested Development) about his new comedy series Flaked, Ritter about Jessica Jones, and Moura about Narcos.

The streaming giant then gave those in attendance a first look at new shows The Crown, a 10-episode period drama telling the story of Queen Elizabeth in modern Britain, and The Get Down, a Baz Luhrman-directed series set in the 1970s New York City disco scene.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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