Netflix has been on a tear lately, as competitors are on the rise and it looks to stay ahead of the curve.  A few new features have come out in recent weeks, along with news of solidified global expansion as Netflix seeks out fresh new markets to unleash its streaming services on.

Netflix is planning to launch in Spain and Britain in the first half of 2012. Eearlier this month, the provider of on-demand internet streaming media announced that they would be launching their services in 43 countries by the end of 2011, a campaign focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean.  This moved surprised some analysts who expected that after the first international incursion into Canada, Netflix would be making its way into the European countries. It has now 26 million customers in the US and is aiming for 30 million by the end of the year.

Variety points out that Spain and UK are probably the countries referred to as the third wave of international expansion by CEO Reed Hastings back in April who told investors, “We’ve also decided to make some early content commitments for a third international market given our high probability of success in our second international market.”

One of the latest updates is a Just For Kids tab, making it easier for children and their families to find kid-friendly TV shows and movies on its streaming service.  The tab will be added to subscribers’ accounts on Netflix’s website beginning Tuesday.  Clicking on the feature will pull up a list of kid-friendly recommendations drawn from about 1,000 movies and TV shows in Netflix’s Internet video streaming library.

The children’s feature grew out of Netflix’s recognition that its video streaming service is making it easier for kids to watch movies on a variety of devices at almost any time and any place with a high-speed Internet connection. The video can be streamed through video game consoles, the iPad computer tablet and smartphones. Netflix makes it even easier by allowing several people from the same household to stream through the same account.

Meanwhile, Netflix received criticism recently when they announced a 60% price hike for streaming and by-mail subscriptions–you’d have thought the sky was falling.  More than 12,000 people left comments on Netflix’s blog post, thousands more took to social media to complain, and every major media outlet covered the negative reaction to the news.

Yet Vudu doesn’t see Netflix as a competitor, but as a compliment to its own service. “We’ve found that what we do, at least today, is very compatible and complementary to subscription offerings that are out there,” Lichty says. “By way of example, most of our customers are also Netflix customers.”

Moreover, Amazon announced that it now offers over 100,000 movies and TV shows through its Amazon Instant Video service. That includes new releases, and these titles can be either purchased or rented.  Amazon has been busy in recent months cutting licensing deals with networks and studios, including CBS and NBC Universal, to bolster its streaming content and bring its library up to par with main competitors like Hulu and Netflix.

One area where Amazon has the advantage over both Hulu and Netflix is the ability to bring newer titles to users.  For instance, popular movies such as The Social Network are not available via Hulu or Netflix but can be purchased for download by Amazon for $14.99.  As such, its library of newer movies is substantially greater than either Hulu or Netflix though a hindrance to consumers who want to pay a subscription for streaming titles without having to individually purchase or rent titles. The Social Network is available through Netflix’s DVD by mail service as are almost any title that can be found through Amazon VOD.