Netflix is considering the launch of a full service in Russia in 2018.
Quoting two sources in the country’s OTT sector, Roem and AKTR report that such a service would include a Russian language site and films in Russian.
They add that although Netflix currently has a small base of subscribers in the country that watch content in English, the service has long considered Russia to be one of its priority markets.
Although it been held back for political reasons and the problem of piracy, factors such as the agreement between HBO and Amediateka signed last summer have helped paved the way for a possible expansion of the service in Russia.
Legally, Netflix will not be able to operate a service aimed at Russian viewers unless it enters into a partnership with a local company in which the latter holds a majority stake.
Prospective partners are believed to include such OTT services as Ivi, Tvigle and Tvzavr.
Quoting the findings of a report by Digital TV Research, Broadband TV News has previously reported that Netflix may abandon its standalone platform in Russia, instead licensing its original content to a local service.
