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Netflix in Australia the second-most affordable in the world

Netflix is the most popular streaming video platform on the planet and despite recent criticisms, we might be getting one of the best deals of any nation in the world.

Australia's TV technology evolution

Netflix is the most dominant of the streaming video platforms around the world, but it’s not the same everywhere you go.

A new study has shown some countries get a better deal than others, with some overpaying for a lacklustre version of the pioneering streaming video on demand platform.

Australia fares pretty well in the study, with our version of Netflix ranking second on the list for affordability, and fifth on value.

The study was conducted by emergency credit provider CashNetUSA for its SavingSpot financial blog.

Netflix price comparisons around the world. Figures are in USD.
Netflix price comparisons around the world. Figures are in USD.

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Affordability was determined by taking a country’s average income and comparing it to the cost of Netflix, using figures from the World Bank and an online crowdsourced database of Netflix pricing around the globe.

While Australian Netflix subscriptions starts at $10 a month ($14 if you want multiple screens or HD streaming and $20 for 4K and HDR), Australia’s comparatively high average wage means many of us can quite easily afford it.

According to the study, an Australian on an average income would spend just 0.17 per cent of their monthly income, roughly 32 cents per day on the most basic package.

Netflix price comparisons around the world.
Netflix price comparisons around the world.

That’s about eight times what Australians pay daily for the ABC, but you do get to choose whether you sign up for Netflix (some ABC shows we paid for eventually end up on the streaming service, though Netflix may famously remove them at their whim, just like you can remove your subscription).

The only country where Netflix was more affordable was Norway, which has the double benefit of huge average incomes and a monthly cost that’s below the standard package price in the United States, where Netflix first started operating.

Norwegian Netflix subscribers pay only 0.16 per cent of their monthly income on Netflix, but they have access to around 2000 fewer titles, meaning we’re getting better value for money.

This interactive table can show you how the cost compares in other countries around the world.

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Predictably the service was the least affordable in developing nations with suppressed incomes in Africa.

Netflix is far from affordable in Africa.
Netflix is far from affordable in Africa.

In Burundi, Netflix subscribers spend 45.2 per cent of the average wage on a Netflix subscription, but it’s unlikely the people actually on those wages would have one, or in many cases even the infrastructure and devices to stream television and movies over the internet.

The average monthly wage in Burundi is just $25.91, while a Netflix subscription starts at $11.70 ($1.70 more than in Australia).

Malawi, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda rounded out the top five nations where Netflix takes the biggest bite out of monthly wages.

The first non-African nation on the list, Afghanistan, comes in at seventh.

An $11.70 Netflix subscription takes up 20.6 per cent of the average Afghanis income: $56.80.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/home-entertainment/tv/netflix-in-australia-the-secondmost-affordable-in-the-world/news-story/d18d59018bc7bae45bb43c02ef91bdf9