Netflix attracts 1 million UK members

The Telegraph

Netflix is increasing its investment in exclusive content,
including by funding new series of the cult comedy Arrested Development

Netflix, the subscription video streaming service, said it had reached one million members in Britain and Ireland in record time.

The £6-per-month service, which allows members to access a library of films and television programmes on computers, smartphones, games consoles and connected televisions, was introduced from the United States in January.

Netflix said it had reached the one million mark in Britain and ireland faster than in any other market and boasted its international growth was faster than Facebook or Twitter's in their early stages.

“This membership milestone is evidence that Netflix has rapidly gained popularity in the UK and Ireland," said chief executive Reed Hastings.

The film is battling Sky and Amazon, via its LoveFilm brand, for supremacy in the streaming sector.

Sky says that more than three million of its satellite subscribers use its streaming services, and it recently launched Now TV, a £15-per-month movie service that carries the sam content as Sky Movies without the need for a dish.

In a Telegraph interview yesterday, Mr Hastings identified Sky as his main competition in Britain, despite the fact that LoveFilm, which as well as streaming offers a DVD postal service, announced its two millionth subscriber in January.

"I don’t think of LoveFilm as a threat at all," he said.

"The main rival is BSkyB, with Sky Movies and Sky Atlantic – they’re the ones with big content. LoveFilm has some strengths but [we] are both competing against each other, against BSkyB."

Mr Hastings has admitted that Netflix needs to stregthen its catalogue in order to compete with Sky and plans "aggressive" bidding in upcoming movie rights auctions.


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