Netflix exec says it’s ‘absolutely inaccurate’ that Aussie Netflix customers get ‘screwed’

THE US Netflix library has 349 shows that are unavailable in Australia, but a company executive reckons we should all stop whining about it.

STOP complaining about your Netflix library.

That’s the message from a company exec who said it’s totally ridiculous that customers outside the US lament the fact they don’t have access to the level of content on offer to American subscribers.

Netflix chief financial officer David Wells reportedly scoffed at the suggestion its subscribers in Australia, Europe and other parts of the globe receive inferior content during a question-and-answer session at Goldman Sachs’ 25th Annual Communacopia Conference in New York overnight.

He called the notion that Aussie customers get screwed as “absolutely inaccurate”.

“I think there is a general meme that whether it is a European consumer, an Australian consumer, an Asian consumer gets screwed relative to the US population,” Mr Wells said.

Given his job description, his position is understandable. But the complex nature of global content rights agreements aside, the fact remains that those outside the US get a lesser product.

Among the popular TV shows that are included in the US Netflix library but not in Australia include Breaking Bad, Sherlock, Parks and Recreation, Sons of Anarchy, The Walking Dead, the X-files, Peep Show, Scrubs and many more.

According to a current comparison by finder.com.au, there is a whopping 349 TV shows that are available on US Netflix but not the Australian version.

That being said, with over 700 TV shows and more than twice as many movie titles in the Australian library, if you’re truly angry about the difference, it begs the question how much TV can you possibly watch?

Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos, has put the focus on original content.

However in defending the different access to content for different users around the world, Mr Wells pointed to the company’s increasing commitment to producing original content.

The video streaming giant plans to spend $6.6 billion on TV and movie offerings this year and another $8 billion in 2017.

“We want to continue growing the content library both within the US and outside the US,” he said.

“As long as we are able to grow our global subscriber population, we have a virtuous cycle there in terms of being able to find and monetise that content across a larger base, which then propels our ability to find more content and produce more content.”

Earlier in the year Netflix began a crackdown on subscribers using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to gain access to the American library in a bid to appease US rights holders.

Despite spirited push back from subscribers (not to mention the government’s Productivity Commission ruling that Australians are getting an unfair deal from geoblocking), Netflix has remained steadfast in its effort to prevent the use of geo-dodging services.

While certain VPN’s claim they have maintained success in circumnavigating the company’s geoblocking, many customers became frustrated and gave up on using their VPN service.

Mr Wells also admitted there was not much the company could do to prevent subscribers sharing their passwords with friends or family outside their households to allow free access to Netflix.

“If they don’t use it within the terms of use we’re unhappy about it,” he said. “There’s not a whole lot we can do.

“We could crack down on it, but you wouldn’t certainly turn all those folks to paid users.”

-With AAP