Netflix is tapping into six new markets Monday hoping to gain a big subscriber base around Europe but is facing a frosty welcome in France. Well-established French competitors are trying to head off a Netflix wave, the government wants oversight and the cinema industry wants Netflix to invest heavily in French productions, reports CBC News.
The video-streaming giant, which has more than 50 million subscribers in 40 countries, this year earmarked $400 million US to expand further internationally. It's launching now in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium and Luxembourg after setting up in Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands in recent years.
The presence of Netflix, which has headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif., is welcome in most European countries but less so in France, where Netflix hopes to reach a third of French homes in the next five to 10 years. Netflix declined to comment on its challenges in France before the official launch Monday.
The company was a pioneer in the field in the U.S. and enjoyed new success by creating original content such as the series House of Cards. But video-on-demand services are now already well established in many European markets.
Canal+, France's main pay-TV operator, has half a million subscribers for its CanalPlay, started in 2011, and moved Wednesday to head off a competitive blow from Netflix. Canal+, which already owns French rights to House of Cards, launched a new partnership with HBO as well as the possibility to pre-download series and movies to watch later without an internet connection. It also announced it will create French and American-produced TV series.
"What is impressive with Netflix is its technological and marketing abilities," said Frederic Goldsmith, from a French-based group of movie producers, "but its service isn't new."
Patrick Holzman, CanalPlay's director, is banking on its "French touch" and proximity with customers. "Our strategy is the same, with or without Netflix," said Holzman.
Bruno Delecour, head of FilmoTV, one of France's first video-on-demand companies, said the buzz around Netflix is positive for the French market, because it incites new households to try video-on-demand services. But Delecour remains vigilant. The entrepreneur decided to focus on developing a specialized offer in movies rather than competing with a generalized content provider like Netflix.
"We've been preparing for competitors for years. We made the choice to occupy one segment of the market and invested heavily accordingly," he said.
Read more of this report from CBC News.