Netflix has launched in Cuba. The movie and TV streaming service has been made available to Cubans at a time that relationships between the US and Cuba are starting to improve significantly.
The content will be available to anyone with an international payment card. Earlier this year, the US unveiled new rules marking the easing of various long-term sanctions against Cuba. The trade embargo was first introduced over fifty years ago in 1962. Credit Card firms American Express and MasterCard are due to launch in Cuba soon, with Netflix saying that its international expansion is happening faster than it had previously expected.
Netflix says it has plans to expand to 200 countries within the next two years. Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings said: “We are delighted to finally be able to offer Netflix to the people of Cuba, connecting them with stories they will love from all over the world”.
Hastings said that it hopes to show works from Cuban filmmakers to a global audience in the future. Netflix has a reported 57 million members worldwide. The company recently denied reports that it started to take action on users viewing content from outside their country via VPNs .
