North Korea Launches Netflix-Type Service Called 'Manbang'
(CBS NEWS) -- North Korea has developed its own version of Netflix, which can stream video titles offered by the country's state-controlled intranet.
The service, called Manbang, is a set-top box that lets North Koreans watch video on demand, reports the BBC.
It doesn't boast quite as much content as Netflix does, however, as most Western programming is censored in the tightly-controlled state. Users can watch documentaries and five TV channels on demand. They can also learn English and Russian through on-demand content.
Manbang hooks up to North Korea's intranet and state broadcaster KCTV reports that the product is a hot ticket item.
"If a viewer wants to watch, for instance, an animal movie and sends a request to the equipment, it will show the relevant video to the viewer … this is two-way communications," Kim Jong Mi said in the KCTV report.
Most North Koreans do not have access to the country's intranet, however.
Netflix has changed its Twitter bio to "Manbang knockoff."
