Ahh, the global society we live in. The removal of borders brought about by this amazing Internet on which we sit – such a positive thing.
Well, that is until some ill-informed Aussie journos start writing stories based on announcements overseas without any time to actually check it out.
Yes, some Samsung TV owners in the United States and Canada will lose access to Netflix as of December 2. Those TV’s are from 2010 and 2011 and while they’re still working for many – I’m tipping most Netflix users would also have Hulu or Amazon Prime in the US so have probably bought a separate set-top box in the meantime anyway.
So – here in Australia – will your Samsung TV Netflix app still work in December?
Yep.
EFTM contacted Samsung, they told us “Samsung was recently notified by Netflix that as of December 1, 2019 the Netflix app will no longer be supported on select 2010, 2011 Smart TV models sold in Canada and the U.S. Consumers with these select models will see a notification from Netflix informing them of this change when they open the app on their Smart TV. For consumers with these models, there are still many other devices supported by Netflix that can be connected to a Smart TV in order to access the app. A list of supported devices can be found at netflix.com/compatible devices.”
Bummer for those US and Canadian TV owners, but hey, you got a good run from it. 9 years is a long life for a TV.
Of course, you should not be forced into obsolescence – however, it should be noted it’s Netflix making the change to their app which renders those TV’s unable to use the in-built Netflix app, not Samsung.
Netflix told EFTM “On December 2nd, Netflix will no longer be supported on a small number of older devices due to technical limitations. We’ve notified all impacted members with more information about alternative devices we support so they can keep enjoying Netflix uninterrupted.”
Operating systems improve over time, apps change, as do the features they offer. Netflix will have taken a look at the numbers and deemed this a low-risk move.
Bottom line – your Samsung TV WILL KEEP WORKING AOK:)
If not, you would have already received an email from Netflix. They know what device you’re using and on which account so this is an easy thing to do – so if there are any TVs in Australia, Samsung or otherwise those users will have been notified.
Given Netflix only launched in Australia in 2015 it’s unlikely there were any TV’s sold in 2010 or 2011 with a Netflix App anyway.
If you’ve got any older TV where the apps aren’t working for any reason, it’s a good time to look at a Fetch box, Chromecast, Apple TV, or Telstra TV – these things open up a whole world of content to ANY TV.
As you were folks!
