Global Marketing News – 28th January 2016
More Netflix videos available in Antarctica than Hong Kong
Netflix users in Hong Kong are disappointed by the low number of videos available to them, with even Antarctica having more video content.
Netflix Hong Kong has just 587 videos, compared to Netflix Antarctica which has 815.
Other less technologically advanced countries that have more Netflix content than Hong Kong include Iraq, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, all of which have localised versions of Netflix with over 600 videos.
Netflix embarked on a massive international expansion plan earlier this month, launching in 130 new countries, including Hong Kong.
It is not clear why Hong Kong has fared so poorly in the roll-out, although a Netflix spokesperson has acknowledged the current situation and pledged to double the number of videos available in the country by the end of the year.
The news comes as the video giant said it would be blocking proxy and VPN access to videos in an attempt to stop users from accessing videos not available in their home countries.
Ad blocking is on the rise
Research by GlobalWebIndex has revealed that ad blocking is on the rise globally.
Ad blocking software stops adverts from appearing on web browsers.
Users install them for a variety of reasons, for example because they find adverts annoying or because they are worried about their data being collected.
The study asked internet users from across the world if they used ad blocking software and found that the number of people using ad blockers had gone up from 28% to 38% in just the last 3 months of 2015, a huge increase.
This seems to have been driven by an increase in the number of people blocking ads on their smartphones. Ad blocking on smartphones is particularly prevalent amongst male mobile users and those aged 16 to 34, with both these demographics showing mobile ad blocking rates of over 40%.
Top 3 Indian ecommerce sites all losing money
The three biggest ecommerce sites in India are all losing money.
Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal are all slashing prices to attract customers, something that they hope will bring them big profits in the long-term, despite it causing them financial losses in the short-term.
The Indian ecommerce market is growing rapidly at the moment, as noted by Siddharth Mukne, Business Advisor at the UK India Business Council, in a recent interview with Webcertain TV.
The Indian ecommerce market is currently worth 11 billion US dollars and this is rising fast, with online sales expected to reach 220 billion US dollars by 2025 according to estimates by Merrill Lynch.
Video marketing to take off in Vietnam
Video will become a key online marketing medium in Vietnam this year, according to research by comScore.
The study points to the huge popularity of online video in the country – there are more video viewers in Vietnam than any other South East Asian country.
Furthermore, 91% of Vietnamese video viewers share videos with their families and friends, and 90% make purchasing decisions after watching a commercial video.
Businesses are expected to start tapping into the hugely popular medium this year, as they are recognising it as one of the easiest ways to reach Vietnam’s internet population of 39 million people.
Facebook to open new data centre in Ireland
And finally, Facebook has announced that it will be building a new data centre in Ireland.
It will be the company’s second data centre in Europe, with a data centre having existed in Sweden since 2013.
The announcement of the new data centre in Ireland shows that the social media giant is serious about expanding its product offerings.
Facebook is the most popular social network in the world, with around 1.5 billion users from all over the globe.
Webcertain’s global marketing news bulletins are daily 5-minute videos, providing marketers with the latest international digital marketing news in an easy-to-digest format.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Gemma Houghton
Latest posts by Gemma Houghton (see all)
- Watch the recording: How to identify and seize growth opportunities in international markets - April 20, 2022
- International marketing recruitment: How to drive global growth amid The Great Resignation - February 23, 2022
- 5 trends to include in your 2022 international digital marketing strategy - December 21, 2021
