US movie rental giant Netflix has confirmed plans to bring its service to the UK and Ireland “in early 2012.”
The move pitches the company against the Amazon owned LoveFilm.
From launch, customers in the UK and Ireland will be able to instantly watch a TV and movie rentals right on their TVs via a range of consumer electronics devices capable of streaming from Netflix, as well as on PCs, Macs and tablets and smart phones.
Netflix’s arrival to these shores could drive interest in Apple’s Apple TV – the US version of the device allows the streaming of Netflix rentals to large screen TVs.
The company says further details about the service, including pricing, content and supported devices, will be announced closer to launch.