Netflix Australia Just Announced Its ACTUAL Launch Date, And A Free Data Deal With iiNet

The rumours swirling around Netflix’s Australian launch have been as optimistic as they’ve been unconfirmed. So far, we’ve been sure of only two things: that the platform would be coming some time in March, and that it would launch with season three of House of Cards — which landed on Netflix USA on February 27.

The timing caused many to believe that, as Gizmodo put it, ‘Netflix Will Probably Launch In Australia On March 1‘. News Corp and Fairfax offered a more conservative guess of March 31, after an anonymous source gave that date — and a starting price of AU$9.99 per month — to Tech Guide.

But according to Netflix’s official announcement this morning, everyone was wrong: the platform will begin streaming in Australia and New Zealand on March 24 — which is almost a full month after House of Cards landed on Netflix USA, to be watched by pretty much every Australian who knows their way around Chrome extensions.

The announcement also includes the devices Australian users will be able to watch Netflix through: smart TVs by Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Philips and HiSense, and game consoles including Sony’s PS3 and PS4, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Xbox One, and Nintendo’s Wii U, as well as Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and Apple and Android tablets and smartphones.

And while Netflix will be available through all internet service providers, iiNet users in Australia get to watch as much as they like without the usage counting towards home data caps; Netflix use will be a quota-free zone, to encourage all of that binge-watching.

Launching on the Australian platform will be selected shows and films distributed from the likes of Roadshow, Disney, the ABC and Beyond Distribution, including the Matrix, Lord of the Rings and Oceans trilogies; Broadchurch, The Tunnel, Rake and Redfern Now; Chris Lilley’s entire ouvre; and Pixar films like Monster’s Inc, Cars and Up. We’ll also be treated to a few Netflix Originals including House of Cards, BoJack Horseman, Bloodline, Grace and Frankie and Marco Polo. (Unfortunately for Netflix AU, Orange Is The New Black is licensed exclusively to Foxtel — as are a whole bunch of your other favourite shows.)

While additional content and pricing details will be announced in the lead-up to launch, a representative at Netflix confirmed that the three-tiered price brackets would most likely reflect what happens in the USA — where it’s US$7.99 per month to stream on one SD screen, $8.99 per month to stream on two HD screens, and $11.99 per month to stream on four HD screens.

For further announcements from Netflix Australia, they’ve also launched a bunch of social media channels: Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.

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CORRECTION: The first version of this post listed the launch date as March 26, not March 24. Which is a pretty embarrassing typo to make in an article about a launch date. Sorry.