Netflix in unlikely to find the going easy when it adds Poland to its list of European markets, perhaps as soon as next year.
That was certainly the impression I got at the PIKE (Polish Chamber of Electronic Communications) international conference and exhibition in Lodz earlier this week.
What perhaps surprised me more than anything was the general concern the cable industry has about the SVOD service, voiced not so much in panel discussions, which seemed to be focused largely on intellectual property and copyright, but in private conversations.
Yet even on one panel, UPC Polska, while stating its desire to cooperate with Netflix, very much along the same lines as its sister service Virgin Media does in the UK, made clear there could be downsides to the arrangement.
So, what exactly is going on here? Well firstly, it has to be said that Poland already has a pretty mature on demand market, certainly by CEE standards. One needs look no further than the activities of Cyfrowy Polsat and TVN, its two leading commercial broadcasters, to see this is the case.
Netflix will certainly have to find ways of working with existing players, maybe enter into agreements along the same lines it is currently doing in France, if it is to succeed in the country.
Poland’s cable industry will certainly be part of the picture as the leading operators all already offer their viewers on demand services.
And these are certainly changeable times for the industry. While this year’s international event was perhaps not the best on record in terms of attendance and panel discussions, it had a particular edge to it as PIKE was finally able to announce that Cable Congress will be held in Warsaw in 2016.
I’m personally aware of the long struggle PIKE has had to bring this prestigious event to Poland and am sure it will be a resounding success.
It’s timing will also be opportune as by then Netflix will almost certainly be up and running in the country.
