Netflix will use the Teraco-funded non-profit NAPAfrica Internet exchange (IXP) in Johannesburg to stream video content for its new South African service, according to local reports.
The US video-on-demand (VOD) giant, which recently launched in 130 markets including South Africa, will follow in the footsteps of Microsoft, Google and Facebook in using NAPAfrica to help improve the local speed of content delivery online.
“A few years ago, watching a video in SA would take forever because of buffering. Similarly, when a Facebook user wanted to upload pictures to the network, they often had to leave them to load overnight. Now both companies [Facebook through Akamai] make use of NAPAfrica, which gives users a much faster experience,” Michele McCann, head of business development at Teraco, is quoted as saying in ITWeb.
McCann claims traffic on the data distribution hub rose by 2Gbit/s to 72Gbit/s shortly after Netflix announced it had launched in South Africa on 6 January 2016. “This may be a driver for people to invest in better Internet services in their homes, which will be better for the networks and the ecosystem as a whole,” she said.
Subscriptions to Netflix in South Africa start at ZAR126 (US$7.99) per month for standard definition (SD) viewing on a single screen. The high definition (HD) package costs ZAR158 ($9.99) per month and allows two-screen use, while the premium service costs ZAR190 ($11.99) a month, and offers 4K and HD content and simultaneous viewing on up to four screens.
The South African VOD service will carry original Netflix content including Narcos and Marco Polo, along with popular US shows Suits, Dexter and Weeds.
In addition to South Africa, Netflix is also now available across the African continent, in: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, CAR, Chad, Comoros, DRC, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Réunion, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.