EzyFlix shuts as Netflix dominates

Australian streaming service EzyFlix has shut down as competition heats up in the fiercely competitive Australian market.

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A message was posted on the EzyFlix website yesterday explaining that the service’s backers, Access Digital Entertainment, have decided to shut it.

No reason was given, but with Foxtel-backed Presto, Nine Network-backed Stan and independent players such as Quickflix vying for position, EzyFlix faced stiff competition.

The largest player is Netflix, which having launched in March has been a runaway success in Australia. It has about 1.9 million customers, although many are taking its free trial.

EzyFlix said that the series and movies it has offered are now no longer available. It was not an SVOD service, without the monthly subs model offered by its streaming rivals. Instead it had a rental or download-to-own model, allowing consumers to pay for content on an ad hoc basis.

Its TV offering had included drama series Grey’s Anatomy, Revenge, Rake, The Tudors, Breaking Bad and, prior to Netflix’s launch, House of Cards.