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Netflix streaming crosses border to Canada

Video rental and streaming giant expands to first international market "later this year"; service in Canada will be streaming only.

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Rental-by-mail and streaming content provider Netflix has become one of the largest video distribution outlets in the United States. Now its sights are set on expanding to the land north of the lower 48.

Netflix announced plans today to bring its streaming service, which allows users to watch an assortment of television shows and a smorgasbord of full-length films, across the border to Canada sometime in 2010's remaining months.

Coming to a Canada near you.
Coming to a Canada near you.

Netflix will not offer Canadians the movie-by-mail option found in the United States and will instead make the service available as streaming only. The move will make the northern nation the company's inaugural international market and the first streaming-only territory under Netflix's umbrella. Netflix did not announce a price for the service, and as of press time, Netflix has not responded to GameSpot's request for comment on the matter.

The company's announcement today stated only that Netflix streaming will be available on a "range of consumer electronics devices capable of streaming from Netflix." Gaming consoles are prime candidates, as Netflix already offers its streaming service to American customers on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii.

Netflix said that when the service launches, programming will be available exclusively in English and will extend to the country's other official language, French, "at a later date." Canadians interested in signing up for the service can head to Netflix.ca, where they can sign up to be notified via e-mail when it launches.

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