Netflix blocked in Indonesia

Netflix is facing problems in Indonesia, one of the most populous countries in Asia, with state telco Telkom blocking the SVOD service.

Telkom has reportedly objected to some of the adult and violent content on Netflix’s service in the country, and said it does not have the necessary permit to operate in Indonesia.

US-based Netflix launched in Indonesia last month as part of its 130-country simultaneous roll-out.

Netflix did not respond to a request for comment, but a US spokesperson for the streaming company told the Wall St Journal that it did not need said permit as it is not a traditional broadcaster, but an internet broadcaster.

Elsewhere internationally, Netflix may also be facing problems in Brazil, where UOL reports that its opponents are forming a lobby group that will push for new restrictions on the SVOD service in the country.

UOL said the lobby group wants Netflix to pay a levy on all of its movies with the proceeds going back into local production.

The group also reportedly wants the government to introduce a domestic content quota of 20%, which would change Netflix’s strategy with the service investing sparingly in Brazilian content.

To this point, it has ordered one Brazilian original, drama 3%, which comes from producer Boutique Filmes and director Cesar Charlone.

The lobby group also wants to look at charging Netflix users more for broadband access on the basis they are using more bandwidth.

Last week the Kenya Film Classification Board threatened to block Netflix in the country, claiming the SVOD service is a “threat to our moral values and national security”.