Report: Netflix Reaches 1.5 Million Subs in U.K.

21 Aug, 2013 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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The streaming pioneer’s foray into the United Kingdom and Ireland is gaining on Canada, according to a research report

Netflix reportedly has topped 1.5 million subscribers in the United Kingdom since its launch in the region and Ireland in January 2012.

Increased traffic to subscription video-on-demand pioneer’s website and recent international subscriber data led research firm Enders Analysis to conclude Netflix’s U.K. sub numbers range between 1.5 million to 2 million, according to The Guardian, which cited the Enders report.

Netflix ended its most recent fiscal period with 35.6 million paying subscribers globally, including 7 million internationally. The foreign tally includes about 2 million subs in Canada — Netflix’s original international territory.

"Netflix is still something of the silent intruder in the U.K.," Enders analyst Toby Syfret told The Guardian. "While BT Sport makes all the headlines, Netflix has released almost nothing publicly since announcing last August that it had broken the 1 million barrier."

Enders cited American TV series “Breaking Bad” and Netflix Originals’ “House of Cards” for driving growth in the U.K.

Syfret believes some of Netflix’s growth in the U.K. has come at the expense of rival LoveFilm, which operates its own SVOD service, LoveFilm Instant. The analyst cited a drop off in visitors to the Amazon-owned LoveFilm website compared to a rise in Netflix visits.

"The main types of Netflix customer are pay-TV households and younger adults who have not yet set up more permanent households, but generally live in free-to-air TV dwellings and enjoy the occasional binge," he said.

 

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