Netflix is facing the prospect of strong completion from several local on demand services when it launches in France next week.
Le Figaro reports that while a “French Hulu”, produced by TF1 and M6, is still some way off, other services are already established and – significantly – being encouraged by the government and regulator CSA to compete with the US company.
For instance, CanalPlay, operated by Canal+, has already secured 520,000 subscribers in three years, with 200,000 being added to the total in only the last six months.
Available for €7.99, without a subscription, its offer consists of 10,000 programmes, including 2,000 movies, over 4,000 series and many children’s titles.
It is adding 500 new features each month and will soon benefit from a recently signed agreement with HBO.
Meanwhile, the Orange subsidiary OCS, which combines linear channels with on demand, has exceeded 2 million subscribers in only a few months.
At the same time, Numericable, France’s leading cable operator, is putting the final touches on its SérieFlix project, which will offer viewers several thousand series episodes.
However, these local services will also have to contend with another foreign newcomer – Wuaki TV –which is also now available in France.