LONDON — Streaming platform Netflix is preparing to launch in Russia later this month, according to a report in Russian newspaper Izvestia. Initially the service will be available via set-top boxes and smart TV sets.
“We hope that there will be more licensed content in Russia, and with the advent of Netflix people will start to get used to the consumer subscription model,” LG Electronics smart TV manager Vitaliy Svistunov said.
Netflix plans to complete its global expansion by the end of this year. In Europe, its progress has been completed in stages. In 2012, it became available in the U.K., Ireland and the Nordic countries, and the following year it expanded to the Netherlands. In 2014, it launched in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland, and last year, it added Spain, Italy and Portugal.
Joris Evers, Netflix’s head of communications for Europe, told Variety, “We aim to largely complete our global expansion by the end of this year,” but would not specify exactly when the service would launch in Russia.
