It has been a long time coming, but the Netflix streaming video content service will finally be available in Canada this fall.

A new Website at www.netflix.ca has already been set up online, although it offers limited information. What we do know is there will be one subscription price that will afford Canadians the ability to watch an unlimited number of TV shows and movies each month; and the service will be English-only at launch time, although there are plans to launch a French version at some point. Unlike in the U.S., however, it doesn't appear that Netflix will be bringing its movie-by-mail service across the border.

The majority, if not all, of Internet-connected flat panel TVs, Blu-ray players, and other home theatre devices coming to market these days include compatibility with the Netflix service. But since Netflix was not available here, Canadians have not been able to enjoy the content. Canadians, however, can be rest assured that they will indeed be able to enjoy a Netflix subscription on their compatible TVs. In many cases, flat panel companies have advised that it's a simple "flick of the switch" to enable the service here.

"If they turn the switch on [for Canada], customers will have full access to that library of movies," a representative from Sharp Canada confirmed to Marketnews contributor Frank Lenk earlier this year.

Toshiba Canada's Lindsay Takashima told us a few months ago that Toshiba was "working closely" with providers in the U.S. like Netflix, and was hopeful that something would happen by the Fall. "It's just a question of them working out the distribution rights."

It remains to be seen whether licensing has been granted for all the same content as is available stateside, but chances are there will be a healthy selection of content at launch. Last month, Netflix confirmed that it will working on an iPhone app; no word of this will be accessible in Canada as well.

The company's most recent content partnership has been with Warner Bros. just last week to add a slew of catalog TV shows to its roster, including all 100 episodes of Nip/Tuck, Veronica Mars, Pushing Daisies, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

In Canada, the Zip.ca service has been running for years, and has often been considered the Canadian equivalent of Netflix in terms of movie rentals mailed to the home. The company had confirmed an online streaming service last summer, but that never seemed to have come to fruition. How will Netflix's entrance into Canada affect Zip.ca's business? When we spoke to Zip.ca CEO Cury Millar back then, he didn't sound worried. "We've always built ourselves knowing they could come here," he said. "Their model is different from what we do."

Stay tuned for more information on Netflix in Canada as it becomes available.

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