Movie & TV streaming finally comes to NZ

Kiwis will finally be able to stream movies and TV shows on their computers, TVs and other devices today, with Australian streaming service Quickflix launching in New Zealand.

The service will offer unlimited viewing for $9.99 per month, rising to $16.99 per month once the introductory period is over.

ISPs Slingshot and Orcon have even announced they will zero-rate the service – meaning downloaded material won't impact on users' monthly bandwidth consumption – although the latter won't start doing so until May 1. Others are likely to follow suit.

Unfortunately the selection is currently limited to just 650 films, as well as 'hundreds of hours' of BBC television content. However, the goal is to add between 350 and 400 new films and 400 hours of television every month.

New release films will cost an additional $6.99 each, and will be available around the same time as their DVD release dates.

Supported devices include PCs and Apple Macs, as well as Sony's range of internet-connected Bravia TVs, blu-ray players, and the PlayStation 3. Again, more devices will be added in coming months, including TVs, Galaxy tablets and smartphones from Samsung, TVs from Panasonic, and iPhones and iPads from Apple.

Chris Taylor, CEO of Quickflix and former head of Prime TV in New Zealand, says kiwis' entertainment choices have been 'far too limited for far too long'.

"In our view there is not enough competition in New Zealand," Taylor says, "and consumers deserve more choice of content, on demand, without the exorbitant price tag.

Are you keen to give Quickflix a go? Does 650 movies sound like enough to you? Post your comments below.