Netflix signs French IPTV deal

The hostile atmosphere facing Netflix’s launch in France has subsided somewhat after the US streaming service signed a distribution deal with IPTV platform Bouygues Telecom.

A deal that means Netflix will be available on Bouygues’ Bbox sets from November represents the first such agreement the VOD service had secured in France.

Netflix will be available on the boxes from November via the Bbox Sensation box, and later will be distributed through Android TV Box users. Mobile users can access Netflix as of today.

To this point, Netflix had failed to secure carriage on any French platform following disagreements over low carriage fees and bandwidth concerns. In the US, Netflix is said to account for a third of all internet traffic at certain times.

“We’re delighted and very proud to announce this partnership deal with the world leader in SVOD. We in
tend to continue enhancing our offer so that our customers can enjoy the best innovative content, whether at home or on the move,” said Olivier Roussat, chairman and CEO of Bouygues Telecom.

“We’re very happy to announce this partnership with Bouygues Telecom in order to provide the amazing Netflix
experience to its customers,” said Reed Hastings, Netflix’s chairman and CEO.

Netflix has also faced stinging criticism for basing its European office in the Netherlands, meaning it does not have to comply with strict French content quotas. In a bid to allay this, Netflix recently announced it was financing Marseille, a drama produced in France that will run on all of its international operations.

It has also gone on a French buying spree, taking a 100-hour package from Paris-based distributor Prime Entertainment in one deal, and acquiring French-originated toon Wakfu in another.

Hastings said that Netflix would also commission more French originals in addition to its existing plan to make political drama Marseille.

Netflix is also launching in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg this year.

In addition to Netflix originals including Orange is the New Black and Hemlock Grove, the launch will also see the arrival of drama series Fargo in France for the first time, along with From Dusk Till Dawn and Penny Dreadful.

In addition to Hollywood movies and series, Netflix will show iconic French movies including À Bout de Souffle, Le Mépris, Actrices, Fais pas ci, fais pas ça and recent series Un Village Français.

Netflix is to launch in Germany tomorrow. According to a report last week in business weekly WirtschaftsWoche, citing unnamed sources, the company will partner with Deutsche Telekom to reach end users, while Vodafone has also been named as a potential partner.