The California-based company says it will start streaming in Australia and New Zealand on March 24, partnering with internet service provider (ISP) iiNet.

Netflix co-founder and chief executive Reed Hastings said the subscription video on demand (SVOD) service would be available to all main Australian ISPs but the iiNet deal was the first unmetered agreement announced with a major broadband provider in Australia.

This meant iiNet customers had "no fear of the usage counting against home data caps", he said.

However, Optus said the deal wasn't unique.

It said it would also offer customers unmetered Netflix content.

"Optus broadband consumer customers will also be able to access as much Netflix content as they want, without metering. Netflix Australian content won't count towards a customer's data cap," an Optus spokeswoman said.

Mr Hastings said Netflix's Australian service would stream "thousands of hours of movies, TV shows and kids' programming", including all three seasons of House of Cards.

The launch comes as streaming begins in earnest in Australia. Foxtel and Seven West Media have launched Presto, and Nine Entertainment and Fairfax Media have joined forces to create Stan.

Some media commentators and executives believe the arrival of Netflix will leave room for only one local player in Australia in what is shaping up to be a "bloodbath" in the SVOD market.

Others are more optimistic such as Quickflix chief executive Stephen Langsford, who says the increased competition will only build more consumer awareness about SVOD.

This is despite Quickflix posting on Monday a deep dive in its net loss. The Perth-based company, which Mr Langsford founded more than a decade ago, posted an $8.6 million net loss for the six months to December 31, more than double the result it reported a year earlier.

The latest result included a $2.9 million write down on Quickflix's technology and platform.

"Excluding the impact of the write-down, the underlying net operating loss before impairment was $5.7 million, a decrease of 4 per cent on the prior half-year," Mr Langsford said.

The number of Quickflix's paying customers also slumped 5 per cent to 117,000 compared with the half-year ending June 30.

However, Mr Langsford said the number of total customers, which includes trial subscribers, grew 1 per cent to 136,670.

Meanwhile, revenue rose 7 per cent to $9.2 million.

"At the start of the year we have seen good, strong growth and momentum and I think that's as a result of the growing consumer awareness, so we're very much of the view that there's a lot of upside there," Mr Langsford said.