US company Netflix will launch an Irish and UK service early next year, having dominated the US market since its launch 15 years ago.
Initially set up as a DVD delivery service, it soon emphasised online streaming. When users pay a monthly subscription they can watch an unlimited amount of TV shows and movies that they must watch within a certain timeframe. It has proved hugely popular in the states, as a way of battling online piracy and for audiences to see shows on networks or cable stations they may not be subscribed to. Whether or not it will work here will depend on the kind of shows and movies available; certainly if they have US shows soon after broadcast it'll go down great. People in Ireland need to be able to see brilliant shows like Archer, Justified and Louie without having to go down the illegal download route.
It will also be interesting to see how Irish stations embrace it. The majority of our shows come from elsewhere, let us not forget. Or how it affects the likes of Xtravision...
