Netflix Australia Reaches Estimated 2.5 Million Users

"Launched in March 2015, Netflix accounts for the majority of SVOD services," says the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Streaming video giant Netflix's Australian service attracted 2.5 million users in the first half of the year, according to data from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

Netflix launched down under in March. In June, respected research firm Roy Morgan Research estimated that the streaming company had at least 1 million users.

But that and the latest estimate don't show how many of the users are paying subscribers rather than trialists. Netflix has been offering a range of free trials from one month to 12 months via its telecom partners.

The ACMA survey questioned 1,505 Australian adults in May and June about their use of subscription VOD services.

"Subscription video on demand is growing rapidly in Australia, becoming an increasingly popular way to watch video content," the authority said on its website. "From January to March this year, Australia saw the launch of new SVOD services, including Netflix, Presto TV and Stan, and the take-up since then has been rapid. With the introduction of these services, Australians now have a greater range of video content viewing options."

An estimated 2.5 million adult Australians, or 14 percent of all adult Australians, used Netflix Australia to stream TV shows or movies in the first half. "Launched in March 2015, Netflix accounts for the majority of SVOD services used in Australia," ACMA wrote.

The ACMA study also found that an estimated 3.2 million adult Australians, or 17 percent of the country, watched video content via SVOD services in the first six months of 2015, with 2.2 million (12 percent) watching in the last seven days before the survey.

Among SVOD users, 78 percent used Netflix during the first half of the year, and 88 percent used it in the previous seven days.

Netflix typically doesn't disclose its subscriber figures on a per-country basis outside the U.S.