Netflix in talks with MDA ahead of Singapore launch


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Rebecca Hawkes

| 30 October 2015





US streaming giant Netflix is in discussions with Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA) to agree launch plans for the online video service early in 2016.


The company does not want to fall foul of local restrictions on content at launch, according to the Straits Times.

"We don't want to do that. We are in discussions with the MDA but I don't have the details," Jonathan Friedland, chief communications officer, Netflix told the newspaper. "We want to have good relations with the government, and also give consumers what they want. Our goal is to empower consumers."

Netflix announced in September that it would launch in Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan in early 2016.

The company, which plans to achieve global rollout of its subscription video-on-demand (VOD) service by the end of 2016, marked its entry into the Asian market when it launched in Japan on 2 September 2015.

It has tied up with partners in Japan and South Korea to create more original, Asian content, but Netflix has not yet entered talks with producers in Singapore, said Friedland.