Netflix could be launching in Russia this month, according to report

Netflix, as part of its global expansion efforts, plans to expand into Russia, according to a report in a Russian newspaper.

The Los Gatos-based streaming giant is preparing to launch in Russia this month and will be available via set-top boxes and smart TV sets, according to a story in the daily Izvestia.

“We hope that there will be more licensed content in Russia, and with the advent of Netflix people will start to get used to the consumer subscription model,” Vitaliy Svistunov, smart TV manager for South Korea’s LG Electronics, said in the Russian report.

A Netflix spokesperson would not comment on plans for a Russian expansion.

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Netflix has been vocal about its plans to finish its global expansion tour by the end of this year. The streaming platform has already announced South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan as its next roll-out destinations for 2016. Those markets follow Netflix launches last year in Japan, Spain, Italy and Australia.

Netflix closed out its third quarter last year with 69.2 million streaming subscribers in more than 40 countries -- 26 million of those are international subscribers.

Ahead of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings’ keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday, speculation has been brewing that the popular on-demand service is also looking into a launch in India.

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