Netflix hits our screens

TV is dead; long live TV. Traditionally the supreme source of family and mass entertainment, the television is constantly seeking new formats to keep us glued to the screen, with an almost year-by-year revolution in response to the changes in our viewing habits.

The Internet has made it easier to see what we want, when we want and, with the impact of tablets and smartphones, the “box” has even became mobile. This is the new television that operates under the name Smart TV, incorporating Internet applications, such as on-demand services, but also social networks that coexist alongside traditional channels.

However, now there is a new player in Europe: Netflix. The American company was born in the late 1990s as a DVD rental service. The DVDs were mailed and collected when finished with but then, in 2007, with high-speed internet becoming widespread, Netflix launched an online video service. In the eight years since, it has become a world leader, present in 50 countries, with over 62 million subscribers around the world, as well as expanding to become a provider of television content rivalling the online content of the likes of HBO.

The service is based on hundreds of films and series, accessed through a SVOD (subscription video on demand) service that uses streaming, avoiding the need for downloading, storage and restrictions, and it is all legal. Meanwhile, the streaming technology adjusts to the connection speed of each client. From October 20, local users can subscribe to netflix.com or use the app that even comes pre-installed on some brands of smartphone and Smart TV. What's more, Vodafone clients will get the service for free for a period of six months.

A number of other platforms are already offering online services here, especially Canal+ and Yomvi, with a catalogue of top quality series that make it the market leader. Yet, Netflix will rival it, offering exclusive series already popular in the US but with large followings here, such as Narcos, Daredevil, Sense8 and Bloodline. In the future, the company also said they do not rule out incorporating Catalan subtitles and dubbing.

At the time of writing, the company had still not announced its pricing for access to its services.

The much-awaited launch of Netflix represents a revolution for the sector. Although in its official press release it claims that its offerings aim to be “complementary” to those of other companies, by offering “total freedom to clients”, it is clear that the American giant has put pressure on its rivals, who have been offering video on demand for some years already, companies such as Wuaki TV, Nubeox, Filmin, but above all Movistar Series (Telefónica), which, after its fusion with Yomvi (Canal Plus), in some way has had the monopoly on quantity as well as quality. Yomvi's catalogue includes the hit series Game of Thrones, but also prestigious titles such as True Detective, Fargo and The Knick. In addition, Canal Plus offers an extensive selection of seasons, since it has been a pioneer in buying up the most popular series to avoid pirating, a widely established practice that aims to bring about a change in the user's mentality.

Having the releases available 24 hours after they have been launched in the US also makes legal consumption more attractive to consumers, as well as satisfying the growing demand for original version subtitles. Since the beginning, Movistar made the choice to offer a catalogue of a great varietythat would appeal to European tastes. After the fusion with Yomvi, they are, for the moment, still on top.