Netflix hints at plans to launch in more European markets
After several months of rumors and reports of setbacks due to local regulations, plans to launch in France and Germany were indirectly confirmed by a Netflix executive.
On an investor's call regarding Netflix's quarterly financial results, the company's Chief Content Officer and Vice President Ted Sarandos was questioned by JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth on whether Netflix would consider launching in new markets, "for example, France and Germany," if the company did not have the rights to all of its original content there.
"Yes, sure we would, because we are going to have a lot of new original shows that will launch between now and then," Sarandos responded. "And we will also have shows that we are premiering in France and Germany and other markets around Europe that we won't necessarily have in the United States."
Rumors suggest that Netflix could arrive in the two countries as soon as this fall. The subscription-based VOD service made its debut on the continent in 2012, when it launched in the UK and Ireland in January and in Scandinavian markets the following October. In addition, Netflix has been available in the Netherlands since last September.
For the first quarter of 2014, Netflix reported 48.35 total subscribers worldwide, including 12.68 million (or around one fourth) outside of the US. The service is also available in Canada and Latin America.
