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Joan E. Solsman/CNET
Netflix, the US-based video streaming service set to launch in Australia next month, has revealed a line-up of local comedy specials and children’s TV shows that will be available from launch.
The shows come via a content deal with Beyond Distribution, a division of Beyond Entertainment. Beyond is an Australian TV, film and entertainment producer and distributor.
The local comedy specials that will be available include “Carl Barron: A One Ended Stick”, “Arj Barker: Harvest”, “Kitty Flanagan: Hello Kitty”, “Jimeoin: Something Smells Funny” and “Umbilical Brothers: The Rehearsal”.
In terms of kids television, Netflix announced that service will have the exclusive streaming rights for “Lightning Point”, as well as the first three seasons of “H2O: Just Add Water” and season one of its spin-off show “Mako: Island of Secrets” (shown internationally as “Mako Mermaids”).
Netflix has yet to name a specific launch date in March, nor has the service confirmed pricing or the full catalogue when it does go live.
However, Netflix has always said that it would be offering a mix of international and locally produced TV, one that would be different to the US-based library of titles. At a round-table discussion during CES at the start of the year, Todd Yellin, head of product at Netflix said:
“It’s important to remember that, for example in Australia, we’ll be offering movies and TV shows there that we don’t have the rights to in America. People seem to falsely believe that there’s this US catalogue and then other markets get a subset of that — that’s just not true.”
