Netflix, Inc. NFLX is in the process of a massive global expansion project aimed at taking its streaming service abroad to new markets.
The wild success of the company's original programming coupled with a growing consumer preference toward online-streaming has proven to be in high demand outside America's borders. Though many worried that Netflix would struggle with licensing and acceptance issues when it traveled overseas, foreign broadband providers appear to be just as excited as Netflix about the company's expansion.
European Welcome Wagon
As Netflix expanded into Europe, many were concerned about how the service would be accepted among broadband companies. But many of the region's providers have been extremely open to including Netflix in their service offerings with some using it as a draw for new business. Swedish provider Com Hem Group made Netflix's service a part of its TiVo box and offered three free months of access in order to lure in new customers. Deutsche Telekom's DTEGY Austrian arm similarly ran a promotion advertising six months of free access to Netflix for new subscribers.
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Australia Rolls Out The Red Carpet
Australian providers were also accepting of Netflix's entry into the nation's market. iiNet Ltd and Optus Ltd negotiated a deal with Netflix that allows users to have unlimited streaming of its content without using any of their monthly data allowance.
Some Still Wary
Netflix is still facing some challenges abroad, primarily in the eurozone where fractured laws governing data transmission and program licensing have made it difficult to gain a foothold in some countries. Liberty Global Corp., Europe's largest cable operator, has been resistant to Netflix and the two are still negotiating whether or not Netflix will become a part of the company's set-top boxes.
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