Netflix focusing on shows' quality in S'pore debut

Singapore

NASDAQ-LISTED Internet streaming service Netflix is not overly worried about take-up rates when it launches in Singapore early next year - despite the competition or that it will debut here with a slimmer version of its US television and movie catalogue for the same price.

"We face a lot of competition in every market," Jonathan Friedland, Netflix chief communications officer, told BT. "But it's good because as the market shifts from linear to Internet TV, the more acclimated people get to the latter, the more opportunities there will be (for Internet TV players)."

Netflix has been a firm champion of on-demand Internet TV replacing linear TV. The former lets viewers watch any show at any time on any device, while the latter allows viewers to watch a show at a scheduled time and on a fixed channel. Said Mr…