Netflix is coming to Dubai?!
If, like us, you’re a shameless consumer of TV over a lazy weekend, you’ll be pleased to hear that the popular streaming service Netflix is rumoured to be hitting our shores in the not too distant future.
The first clue was job listings for the new Middle East expansion being posted on the Netflix site, with positions advertised including marketing planning and analysis manager, senior manager, marketing insights and a social media manager.
Unfortunately for some, a passion for TV and pizza just isn’t going to cut it, with the jobs requiring fluency in both Arabic and English.
Head of Communications at Netflix for Europe, Middle East and Africa Joris Evers then responded with, “We plan to complete our global expansion by the end of 2016. Of course the Middle East is part of that, hence our hiring.”
So yes, we know for sure it’s coming to the Middle East, but whether that specifically means the UAE is yet to be confirmed.
The UAE notably lacks streaming services, with sites like Iciflix and Starz Play available, but delivering just a fraction of the content that Netflix has to offer.
As well as being a hub for popular movies and TV series, Netflix also offer their own original shows such as Sense8, House of Cards, Narcos, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Orange is the New Black.
As of this October, Netflix have a reported 69.17 million subscribers worldwide (that’s more than the entire population of the UK), with more than 43 million of those in the U.S. alone. Netflix’ foray into the relatively untapped Middle Eastern market is sure to bring those figures up, as they fill the void our unapologetic TV binge requirements so desperately needed.
A Netflix subscription will set you back $7.99 USD a month, which translates into roughly Dhs30. However, subscription prices in the Middle East are yet to be confirmed.
We wait with bated breath.