Only weeks after launching in Australia, Netflix has indicated it now regrets negotiating unmetered data deals with Aussie ISPs iiNet and Optus.
In its most recent quarterly report to investors, Gizmodo reports, the SVOD juggernaut said that while it entered into the agreements to “protect our new members from data caps by participating in internet service provider programs”, it was in effect locking out competitors, such as Quickflix, Presto and Stan.
As Netflix is a strong supporter of global net neutrality, the company said, “We should have avoided that and will avoid it going forward”
Net neutrality is the ability for users to fairly access any online service without interference from ISPs due to paid agreements or exclusivity deals, and has been a contentious issue in the US in particular. Netflix has been in disputes with ISPs for years over the issue of an open Internet.
Related: Netflix CEO Calls For Australian ISPs To Scrap Caps, Praises NBN
Netflix said it strongly supports net neutrality “across the globe”, saying consumers have the right to access online content “without ISPs blocking, throttling, or influencing content in the last mile or at interconnection points”.
Netflix has a history of railing against data caps, with CEO Reed Hastings saying in March that Netflix “want to make the internet unmetered. Period.”
It’s a nice dream, but in the meantime, iiNet and Optus customers look like they’ve gotten the deal of the year.
