It’s official – Netflix has announced it will be launching in the Netherlands before the end of the year.
In a statement, Netflix said the service will become available on TV sets, tablets, smart phones, game consoles and computers. The offer will include Hollywood movies, local productions as well as Netflix originals House of Cards and Arrested Development.
Details on pricing and available content will be announced at a later stage, but industry insiders have already noticed that the company is negotiating VOD rights with major studios – in competition with premium broadcasters HBO and Chellomedia’s Film1.
As an over-the-top service, Netflix will compete head on with current VOD portals such as Pathé Thuis, Videoland and Ximon.nl as well as with the on-demand services from major cable nets Ziggo and UPC. However, these VOD services are based on transactional viewing rather than the subscription model Netflis is using.
Rumours about Netflix coming to Holland started when the company started some months ago to advertise job openings.
Netflix has just opened a Dutch website, where people can register with their email address to stay informed about launch details of the service.
Netflix has more than 36 million members in 40 countries, of which 29 million are in the US. The company started its international expansion in Canada in 2010, followed by Latin America in 2011 and the UK, Ireland and Nordic countries in 2012.
During the presentation of its 2012 figures, Netflix confirmed that it would announce its next European launch this July. Apart from The Netherlands, France, Belgium and Germany were rumoured to be on the list.
