Skip to main content

Netflix continues its global expansion with France, makes new enemies along the way

Netflix revealed yesterday via tweet that the service has officially opened for business in France. The announcement comes as Netflix begins its thrust into European markets this month, with additional September launches set for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

Related: Netflix stretches its reach, nearly doubles Dutch subscribers

Recommended Videos

It’s not necessarily going to be a walk in the park for Big Red as the service works its way across the Atlantic. Services such as Germany’s Sky Deutschland and France’s Canal+ have dug in their heels to prepare for the streaming powerhouse’s arrival on the scene, bolstering libraries and nabbing rights to important content (Canal+, for example, has already secured the rights to the popular Netflix original series House of Cards).

The subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) business is a lucrative one these days, and Netflix has good reason to cross the pond with its incredibly popular service. Analysis from research firm IHS indicates that overseas video-bingers will comprise as much as 20 percent of the streaming service’s subscriber base by 2015, and that figure is only expected to accelerate over the next four years. Indeed, it wouldn’t make much sense for the service to pass on such a significant proportion of potential customers.

In specifically preparing for its entrance into France, Netflix managed to secure the eight-episode French series Marseille late last month. The series, a “tale of power, corruption, and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the French port city,” is undoubtedly one of the first moves in the service’s ongoing mission to supply its new territory with locally sourced material.

There have also been a few waves from the locals along the way. According to CNET, the French film producers’ association has claimed that Netflix has set up its base of operations in Amsterdam to evade local taxes and, perhaps more importantly, the requirement that 40 percent of content must be of French origin,  Netflix is, of course, doing everything in its power to land smoothly and hit the ground running ahead of competition. It’s unclear whether the move will garner the service any ill-will from the European viewing public, however.

Related: Netflix deepens its debt for new original shows, expansion in Europe

The company has seen backlash in other countries, as well, as it continues to gain a wider global audience. In fact, Netflix has drawn critics in Australia even before landing down under — namely from its chief competition. While Netflix won’t anchor its service in Australia until sometime next year, Australians can, of course, access the service’s catalog by using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to mask their local IP addresses. As a result, Netflix is already the second-most popular streaming service in Australia without even setting foot on the continent, drawing the ire of Netflix copycat Quickflix, Australia’s leading streaming service.

According to a report from Mashable, Quickflix CEO Stephen Langsford wrote a scathing leader to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings this week.

“Netflix not only knowingly collects revenues from subscribers with unauthorized access to your US service, investing nothing in the Australian market nor paying for Australian rights to the content you make available, but also tacitly encourages Australian consumers to inadvertently breach the copyright of the content owner,” Langsford writes. “We challenge Netflix to play by the rules. It’s how we do it here in Australia…Stop turning a blind eye to the VPN services acting as a gateway to your service.”

Langsford concludes the angry letter with what might be considered a challenge to Hastings’ honor, asking the service to “have the courage” to limit its services by stopping VPN access to its site. How exactly Netflix could stop VPN access was not made clear.

Whether through VPN, or direct licensed content, Netflix is moving into a vast amount of global markets, and has obviously made some enemies along the way. Langsford’s message is bold and direct, but will it actually compel Netflix to act? We’ll be monitoring this story as Netflix attempts to juggle multiple sticky PR situations and roll out its international expansion this month, and beyond.

Alex Tretbar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex Tretbar, audio/video intern, is a writer, editor, musician, gamer and sci-fi nerd raised on EverQuest and Magic: The…
An airport like you’ve never heard it before
Jordan Rakei recording the sound of an aircraft flying overhead.

Europe’s busiest airport has teamed up with a Grammy-nominated artist on a music project like no other.

Jordan Rakei was given access to all areas ... well, maybe not the runway when a plane was coming in ... at the U.K.’s Heathrow Airport to record numerous audio clips and soundscapes that he then incorporated into an ambient music track for travelers -- and anyone for that matter -- to enjoy.

Read more
One of the best TVs ever made is below $2,000, and comes with expert delivery
Panasonic Z95A

When you look through our current list of the best TVs, there are exactly two TVs that should stand out to you, even if you're a casual skimmer. The first is the Sony A95L QD-OLED, simply because it is at the top of the list. The second is the Panasonic Z95A, not because it's the runner-up (which it is) but because it's... Panasonic. It's just not a brand we see making winning TVs, but wow, what a winner the Z95A is. We immediately called it one of the best TVs ever made, something that will be apparent to your eyes if you get it. Now, what's exciting about this TV right now is that it has a low price. You can get the 65-inch version of the TV for $1,998 right now, a savings of over $1,200 off its usual $3,200 price point. You can even get a deluxe delivery and unpack for free if you select the right option on the sales page (accessible by tapping the button below). But, this deal has been around for some time now, since around the start of summer. With Prime Day here and ending soon, it's very likely the time for this deal to end as well. If you want one of the best TVs ever for under $2,000, be sure to tap the button below now.

$1,998 at Amazon

Read more
An amazing TV under $1,000 has a sub $500 Prime Day price (and it’s ending soon)
TCL QM6K

We're now in the final moments of Amazon's summer Prime Day 2025 event, and finding critical last-minute deals. Here's one that almost fundamentally changes how you'll likely think about a product. See, we have a whole list of the best TVs under $1,000, a price point that a ton of people that love TVs just don't feel comfortable crossing. Then, we have a separate list for budget TVs, the best TVs under $500. Even though prices (which move up and down!) are quantitative data points, the differences between a sub $1,000 and a sub $500 TV feel almost categorical in nature, like the difference between water and steam. This deal take the $600 55-inch TCL QM6K (one of the TVs in our 'under $1,000' list) and pushes its price down by $152. This puts it at a price of $448, which is an all time low for it on Amazon, transforms it into an 'under $500' TV. Tap the button below to get the transformative deal while Prime Day is still here or continue reading to see why we liked it so much even when it was over $500.

$448 at Amazon

Read more