Netflix has finally said ‘bonjour’ to France after the video-on-demand site marked its long-awaited arrival in the country, another part of its ambitious European expansion program. Announced via a tweet, Netflix’s imminent arrival has had French broadcasters scrambling for a response. Top broadcaster Canal Play has been investing in online services, while others are offering stacks of free content online to combat the new arrival.
Netflix launched its video streaming service in France on Monday and teamed up with Bouygues to offer its content on France’s third-largest telecom operator’s set-top boxes. California-based Netflix said in a statement its subscriptions would start at 7.99 euros ($10.35) a month and give access to films, series and documentaries on television, computers but also tablets, smartphones and game consoles. Bouygues Telecom said in a separate statement that it would feature access to Netflix services on its clients’ televisions starting in November. It is the first French operator to do so. Vivendi-owned pay-TV operator Canal Plus has already launched its own streaming video services to blunt Netflix’s arrival. So has France’s leading telecom player Orange, which said in July it would not market Netflix when it launches.