It’s time to stock some food and water, and find a comfy spot with good Internet reception, because you aren’t going to be getting up for a while. Netflix is officially confirmed to expand to the Middle East in 2016 and it is about to change your life.
House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Scrotal Recall, Downtown Abbey, Game of Thrones are just a few of the offerings on the menu.
In the works are superhero series that Netflix and Marvel are jointly working on, like Captain America and Iron Man.
Also available on Netflix will be classic movies and TV shows.
As of October 2015, Netflix has almost 70 million subscribers worldwide, including more than 43 million in the USA. The video streaming service gained popularity with original content such as the TV drama House of Cards. Netflix also released and distributed the Egyptian-American documentary The Square, documenting the events of the Egyptian revolution from its early beginnings in January 2011, up until the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.
There are 39 million Internet users in Egypt. The average download speed is 1.25 Mbps. So, yes the Egyptian market is a potential target for any popular streaming service like Netflix.
While this is huge news for the I’d-rather-stay-in-and-binge-watch-a-whole-season-of-whatever generation, it’s believed that not as much content will be available in the Middle East and Egypt, with royalties and even censorship being possible stumbling blocks. Whatever the case, it certainly means that you won’t be on the phone to your strangely IT-literate colleague or friend for hours as they attempt to explain how to setup a VPN, not anymore.
