Netflix launches in the UK and Lovefilm responds

Netflix has launched a TV series and film streaming service in the UK, its first roll out outside the Americas. Netflix will cost UK customers £5.99 (€7.25) a month and rival streaming service Lovefilm immediately responded with an introductory £4.99 (€6) a month streaming deal, heralding the prospect of a price war between the two.


Netflix’s UK content partners for the service include Hollywood studios Disney, Fox, Paramount and Sony. It has also struck TV and movie deals with NBC Universal, CBS and MTV as well as domestic UK players All3Media and ITV.

Netflix offers delivery and streaming services in the US, but its UK and Ireland service will be streaming only. It is offering a free one-month trial and touting the fact there are no contracts, unlike with UK pay TV providers, and that the service can be cancelled with ‘three clicks’. Content can be streamed through connected devices including TVs, games consoles, tablets and smartphones.

Reed Hastings, co-founder and chief executive officer of Netflix said: “Now you can enjoy as many great films and TV programmes as you want, when you want, where you want, for one low monthly price with no contracts or commitments.”

The company has about 21.5 million customers in the US, but not broken out subscriber targets for the UK and Ireland service. However, on the day of the Netflix UK launch, Amazon-owned Lovefilm took the opportunity to announce that  it had reached the two million subscriber mark after a record fourth quarter in 2011.