Netflix is Finally Coming to Canada… Sort of

Posted by on July 19th, 2010   Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray, Industry News, Internet
Source: Netflix

For years now we’ve been hearing our neighbours down south brag about the wonders of Netflix, while up here in Canada we’ve been given the short end of the stick when it comes to similar DVD rental services. I wrote a feature about Canada’s DVD Rental By Mail Alternatives a few years back, and after trying out a few of the biggest outlets, I decided not to stay with any of them because I simply wasn’t satisfied. We’ve been waiting and hoping that Netflix might expand their services north, but for whatever reason, it seemed like they weren’t interested… perhaps the market just wasn’t big enough. But now this week it appears that our prayers have finally been answered. Netflix has officially announced that a Canadian service will be launching sometime this fall. Can I get a hallelujah?


According to the press release, they will be “offering unlimited movies and TV episodes streamed instantly to TVs and computers for one low monthly fee.” This essentially means that their popular Watch Instantly service will be open to Canadians using a number of devices including digital video players, game consoles and computers. However, at this time it sounds like this is the only service that they will be offering in Canada. There is no mention of DVD rentals by mail.

I suppose this makes sense, since the problem with existing Canadian providers is that it either takes too long to receive DVDs by mail, or there are not enough copies available for each title. Streaming technology allows Netflix to bypass those problems completely. I only hope that the selection of movies and TV episodes available will be up to par with the U.S. service (unlike Canada’s iTunes store). They also say that the service will initially be English only, although they “expect to add French language capability over time.”

To sign up for e-mail updates about the service, head over to www.netflix.ca and fill out the form. Are you excited about this announcement? Do you plan on becoming a Netflix member? For our American readers, is Netflix worth the price of admission? (Thanks to Matt for the heads up.)



  • I love my Netflix. For my deployment, I’m not even able to get rental DVDs, but I’m still paying for the service, just to keep the Watch Instantly option.

  • Definitely worth it. I’d be sad without getting Blu-rays in the mail as well, but streaming is better than nothing. Eventually, it’ll all be streaming anyway, so Canada is just ahead of the times on this one. ;)

  • I really like Zip.ca, but like you said, it is better for older releases. I am pretty unenthused about new releases, but Zip.ca is great for older, weird horror movies and art flicks.

    I hope that if Netflix.ca takes over Zip.ca, they won’t ditch all the facets of Zip.ca that I love so much. That will really piss me off as Zip.ca is vital for me to see any movies at all since the ones I want to see are not cheap or available at the library.

  • Matt

    You’re welcome. The service is definitely worth it, as long as Canada gets what we get. I watch it nightly with my girlfriend over my xbox 360. We don’t even have cable anymore because we get the main/basic channels for free. The only thing that wasn’t ideal was that we couldn’t watch live sports events. But now microsoft teamed up with ESPN to have those streamed directly as well.

  • herlygurl

    ECSTATIC!!!! This is TOTALLY EXCITING!!! Really hope it lives up to expectations though, will be a big disappointment if it doesn’t. Going to check out the website right now for more info! Thanks foe sharing this info!!

  • theman

    I can’t believe Netflix would do this. Amercia for American’s!!!

    But congrads anyway our laid back brotha’s to the north.

  • whew! for a moment there I thought I was finally moving into Reeds “Dinning Room”. I mean the free prescription drugs was one thing, but if you guys got unlimited Blue Rays in the mail!? Glad to not be packing just yet.

  • Nate

    Totally worth it. If they keep the same pricing structure they have already in place, it’ll probably only cost you 7 bucks a month for streaming only. Their watch instantly selection is getting better all the time. In my opinion, the biggest victory was Criterion signing on. A lot of their stuff is in HD too. It’s glorious. I can’t wait til Netflix rules the world.

  • @Less Lee Moore Not sure the Netflix taking over Zip plan will come into play any time soon. Looks like they will compete though. Zip has announced they too will offer streaming come fall. Now it’s just a matter of price point & availability for those wanting to make a decision on which service to use.

  • Film Ape

    Color me excited.

  • KeithTalent

    Colour me disinterested.

  • Mrespony

    My experience with Netflix has been great, if a movie is on DVD they have it, sometimes they have streaming content for out-of-print films too. It’s a service I could not give up at this point. They used to have a nice social networking aspect that they gave up in favor of moving to a facebook app that flopped and doesn’t work anymore. Currently I have C.H.U.D., Fair Game and Storm Warning at home. By the way, if you haven’t watched C.H.U.D. with the commentary you’re missing out on something extra special.

  • Brendan

    It’s definitely worth it (provided it’s priced comparably). I’ve only been using Netflix for a couple months, and while the mailed DVDs are great, my Instant Watch viewing far outstrips it. There’s tons of great stuff on there, and the fact that it’s streaming allows me to try stuff I probably wouldn’t have rented or bought otherwise.

  • I never had any problems with Zip.ca, the Netflix equivalent here in Canada. Their selection of DVDs was great and the turn around time for movies sent to me in the mail was excellent. Granted I’m an hours drive from their Toronto warehouse.
    I wonder if Netflix bought them out???

  • Cy-Ed

    Worth it, Do it, Enjoy.

  • Niklas

    Hows the xbox 360 service? When they say stream instantly, is it instant? without “buffering” etc?

  • Matt

    The service on the xbox is pretty great. Most things load in less than 1 minute and after that there are no more interuptions unless you want to skip forward. Then it seems to have to reload or buffer whatever section you want to watch next. But no, it is not as “instant” as turning on your tv or flipping between tv channels.

  • Isn’t this already available? Just sign up for a Netflix account and choose the streaming only package. Shouldn’t matter if you’re in Canada or U.S. – on second thought, might have to have a friend allow you to sign up with a U.S. postal address.

    Used the service on both Nintendo Wii and PS3. It’s friggin fantastic. Plus my Blu-ray in the mail every few days. All this for about eight bucks. You guys up there are in for a treat.

  • Mary in Hawaii

    I grew up in Michigan, a stone’s throw from the Windsor Bridge, as a film junkie and total Canadiafile, addicted to CBC radio and TV. Four years ago, I moved to the eastern, Hio-side of the island of Hawaii, which is totally agrarian. Three years ago, I yanked the plug on my TV and since then, have been dependent on Netflix for electronic home entertainment. I talk to the Netflix phone reps a lot. From them and other sources, a couple years back, I learned that in the near future, Netflix is planning to become a 100% streaming company and get out of DVD mail rentals altogether.

    One impediment Netflix faces to this plan, is the fee attached to showing (or television broadcast) of a film by the company holding the viewing/distribution rights. Just as with ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), which licenses and collects royalties for performances of published musical works, film companies collect fees from Netflix based on the number of showings a film receives within an allotted amount of time. This is why Netflix makes some movies available only to view instantly, others are available both for instant play and DVD rental by mail, some only via mail, and some not at all.

    The mail rental system, going back and forth between the two countries would have obvious complications, which film fans might be willing to weather, but Netflix might not. So why does Netflix not then open “Netflix Canada”? I’m certainly willing to lobby for this diligently from the US side, as I always do for Netflix to buy more Canadian TV programmes and movies. And I’m hoping that in exchange, Canadian movie lovers will lobby the CBC to make its streaming available across US borders. Living without the CBC is like having a dull ache in the heart that won’t go away.