Every year at the Consumer Electronics Show, technology companies from across the world flock to Vegas to vie for technical supremacy in the coming year. The trade show has become a much-anticipated tradition — especially among gadget fans — because it seems that every new CES brings with it some innovation or some announcement that promises to change the way we interact with tech.
This year, one day into the show, Netflix has already won the kit and kaboodle. Yesterday, the streaming titan announced that it would expanding its service to more than 130 additional countries. The announcement means that Netflix is planning to triple its worldwide coverage, going from 60 nations to nearly 200 in the coming months.
Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings was understandably excited, explaining to the crowd at his CES keynote address, “When we started Netflix nearly 20 years ago, we dreamed of the day when the Internet would enable us to deliver TV shows and movies to the billions of people with whom we share the planet … Today, right now, you are witnessing the birth of a global TV network.”
What this development means for Netflix users who don’t own shares in the company remains to be seen. The company’s historical record for providing service is fairly sterling, so current customers shouldn’t have too much to worry about as Netflix expands its reach overseas.
Such an exciting promise drove Netflix’s share price up 9.3% as people scrambled to keep their heads from exploding behind the news. While Netflix has still been unable to break into the Chinese market, the streaming giant remains optimistic that they’ll eventually wear the Chinese government down, which seems fairly likely. After all, what could be better than more TV?