Video streaming company launches services in 130 countries; platform newly available in Israel features settings in English and Arabic, but not Hebrew.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERSUpdated: JANUARY 6, 2016 21:35Netflix logo(photo credit: REUTERS)
Video streaming company Netflix Inc on Wednesday launched its services in 130 countries, including Israel, as part of efforts to counter slowing growth in the United States.The platform newly available in Israel featured settings in English and Arabic, but not Hebrew.The move covered almost the entire globe except China.Shares of the company, whose popular shows include "House of Cards," "Orange Is The New Black" and "Narcos," rose 5.5 percent to $113.60 in afternoon trading.India, Nigeria, Russia and Saudi Arabia were among the major countries where the service was launched, Chief Executive Reed Hastings said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.The company, whose services were available in more than 60 countries before Wednesday's launch, had previously said it aimed to reach 200 countries by the end of 2016.US government restrictions on American companies mean Netflix will not be available in Crimea, North Korea and Syria.The company said on Wednesday it was exploring options for providing its services in China. The company said in July that plans to enter China in 2016 could be delayed.