Netflix "coming to UK early next year"

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 18 July, 2011

Will it hit video game consoles?

US Lovefilm rival Netflix is hitting the UK early next year, according to a new report.

Variety claims Netflix will hit the UK and Spain in the first quarter of 2012 - so some time between January and March.

In the US Netflix subscribers can rent DVD and Blu-ray movies by mail, but given that's a US-only option, it may be that in the UK we'll only be able to stream.

If Netflix does launch in the UK, will it do so on a video game console?

In the US Netflix is available on the Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. In the UK, the PlayStation 3 has Lovefilm and the BBC iPlayer, the Xbox 360 has Sky Go (formerly the Sky Player) and the Wii has the BBC iPlayer.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 10 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • repeater #1 11 months ago

    And what about those of us in the third world (i.e. the rest of Europe)?

  • Timotei #2 11 months ago

    You can't afford it.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #3 11 months ago

    Wouldn't get excited it's not gonna have the same amount of films as the US. Or even up to date films. If the current companies cant do it in the uk I doubt net flix can.

  • Vice.Destroyer #4 11 months ago

    This is good news, but if WYP could explain why he thinks that Netflix UK would even consider launching without the option of sending DVD/Blu-Ray via post? Is it because Netflix recently raised the price in the US for that service and Netflix wants to save itself the belly-aching from UK customers?

    I doubt that, personally. But let's see what happens. Hopefully, Lovefilm will aggressively ramp up its online side of the business. Still find it surprising that they don't give you the option to view premium content (ie paid for content) on a device other than your computer. My BD Player is hooked up to my TV and I would not mind paying £2.50 to watch a film on there.

    I remember when Blockbusters used to be the dominant player

  • landlock #5 11 months ago

    Seeing how popular by mail rentals are becoming can't see them starting up here without it to rival Lovefilm to be honest.

  • SpaceMonkey77 #6 11 months ago

    Awesome news. Been totally jealous of U.S Netflix users for ages. I had heard Netflix wanted to come to the U.K a few years ago, but stopped to build up the U.S market. May well end up adding this to my 360.

    Good bye Love Film (the Amazon owned service) and welcome Netflix (a totally different, better outfit, with more stuff). I once thought they were the same, but alas no, so don't get confused people.

  • Whitster #7 11 months ago

    Unless Lovefilm ramp up their streaming game, I can probably see myself going over to this (providing they launch with their existing catalogue of course)

  • Trigalis #8 11 months ago

    I really don't have a good Internet speed where I live. 2 Mb/s is not enough for 1080p streaming, with Sky Go it doesn't even look 420p.

  • arcam #9 11 months ago

    This is good news, but if WYP could explain why he thinks that Netflix UK would even consider launching without the option of sending DVD/Blu-Ray via post?

    He's right, surely. Online only just makes everything so much easier, with no no stock balancing, storage or distribution worries. LoveFilm is already leading there, and that's the dying end of the market anyway.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #10 11 months ago

    If there online only they will fail hard, post is needed for HD films, UK Internet is not built for streaming HD films into most homes.

    Going onilne only they will be limiting there market greatly. Hopefully it will give love film the kick up the arse to at least offer HD films for streaming as an option.

  • Whitster #11 11 months ago

    @arcam

    Because you're severly limiting your customers in the UK if you go streaming only due to the naff internet infastructure. Both me and a freind have moved to new flats recently and we're both high level users, who'd love to have 20meg+, yet due to our flats locations I'm stuck with Sky internet running around 4mbs and his is only running at around 2/3mbs. Why would we join a streaming only service with that connection when we can pay a tenner to Lovefilm for unlimited blu-rays AND streaming each month.
    Edited by Whitster at 18/07/11 @ 10:12

  • Vice.Destroyer #12 11 months ago

    What Whitster said. If you're going to go for all out war on the market leader, you had better be better than them in every respect. Let's see what they come up with in Q1 2012.

    Fingers crossed their library will be awesome.

  • Shikasama #13 11 months ago

    We have one person saying that by post rentals are popular, with another person saying it is the dying market.

    Who is right? They didn't offer any evidence so YOU decide. Answers on a postcard. Include a DVD with answer.

  • brseg #14 11 months ago

    Great news. This market needs much more competition. Streaming/dl to begin with makes sense.
    Well, it depends on the price and whether they gouge the uk market. :/ If they price it the same as lovefilm/itunes rentals, then theres no point. We all can see the US pricing, needs to be similar.

  • chrisjm #15 11 months ago

    it can be the same price if the service is better, i cancelled lovefilm as the priority system is so flawed compared to the amazon rentals which i had been using and got used to.

  • TechnicPuppet #16 11 months ago

    Sky owns all the rights so this service wont work over here.

  • Syrette #17 11 months ago

    Perfectly happy with my Lovefilm account and Sky Go tbh. Best of both worlds.

  • TenMinJoe #18 11 months ago

    Will Netflix get Universal films? LoveFilm have an ongoing dispute with Universal, so recent Universal pictures aren't available, which is annoying.

  • Snowymonk #19 11 months ago

    We have one person saying that by post rentals are popular, with another person saying it is the dying market.
    Who is right? They didn't offer any evidence so YOU decide. Answers on a postcard. Include a DVD with answer.

    Personal opinion:
    Shop based rentals (blockbuster etc) are dying because people are too lazy to go out.
    Post rental is on the increase (see above reasoning)
    Ultimately, download renting / streaming will replace post rental (once people realise how easy it is).

    get yourself a big hard drive & a fast download connection and the future is yours, irrespective of which company you end up going with.

  • dr_zoidthrob #20 11 months ago

    If it's anything like my experiences (three - count 'em) of renting/ streaming HD films on the 360, it'll be a painful, slow process which makes you want to go out and just buy the damn film instead

  • geoneo123 #21 11 months ago

    Great news!

    My xbox has been waiting for this for years after getting bored of the sky player

  • actionfitz #22 11 months ago

    " it may be that in the UK we'll only be able to stream."

    aye I can just see the UK broadband system holding up to mass use of netflix streaming...
    With traffic shaping, arbitrary download capping etc...

    i'll stick with lovefilm's 2 discs per month package for now.

  • irrelevanthuman #23 11 months ago

    @Vice.Destroyer
    I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I have Lovefilm on my Sony Blu Ray player, already rented a couple of movies. You can have two devices linked to you account apparently.

  • Feanor #24 11 months ago

    "This is good news, but if WYP could explain why he thinks that Netflix UK would even consider launching without the option of sending DVD/Blu-Ray via post?"

    Coz your crooked posties would nick all the discs.

  • bioreit #25 11 months ago

    @Vice.Destroyer

    "if WYP could explain why he thinks that Netflix UK would even consider launching without the option of sending DVD/Blu-Ray via post?"

    I think what he means is that although NetFlix is currently available in the USA and Canada and soon to be available throughout pretty much all of South America and the Caribbean, only the US service offers physical media as an option. So the chances of them doing so in UK and Spain right from the off are probably pretty slim.

  • Xardan #26 11 months ago

    This is good news for customers but bad news for Lovefilm.

  • Jimjamyaha #27 11 months ago

    I've wanted to like Netflix, my gf had it while we lived in the US but their streaming content was in most cases poor, or the next season in a show we were hooked on would be DVD only.

    I looked into Lovefilm but I don't see them being any better. I just don't see this market getting any better until streaming content gets a real push.

  • arcam #28 11 months ago

    OK, negs and people questioning my lack of evidence for postal renting being a market with no future?

    Do I really need to provide evidence that the future of movie rentals is in streaming, not posting plastic around the country? Is it not obvious?

    Anyway here's a nice interview with the CEO of Netflix talking about how streaming is the only possible future for his company: [link url=http://hothardware.com/News/The-Future-of-Netflix-is-All-About-Streaming/
    ]http://hothardware.com/News/The-Future-o...[/link]

    Final quote: "We've got one singular objective, which is 'Be successful in streaming".

  • irve77 #29 11 months ago

    Will be good to see some competition

    I am seriously thinking of dropping Sky and replacing it with Lovefilm

    but a agree LF needs to up it's game on the streaming front especially with TV shows

  • bbvDJC #30 11 months ago

    i work in a blockbuster store and i have to say, im nervous! as a company we are still doing really well, but with things like lovefilm and netflix the future of blockbusters is slightly worrying. although we have just started our own online service, just like lovefilm, but with instore special offers included. its just on movies at the minute but it will include games within a couple of months. i quite like my job at blockbusters, so people, PLEASE START USING BLOCKBUSTERS AGAIN! pleeeeeeeeeeease!

  • Whitster #31 11 months ago

    @Arcam

    It's not that I don't agree with you, it's just that I don't see it happening all that quickly with our current infrastructure in the UK.

  • KrispyBacon #32 11 months ago

    @Eri.
    Sorry but Blockbusters is too expensive. I use Lovefilm and can get through 10+ films on DVD or Blu-ray a month for a little more than £13.

  • Mister-Wario #33 11 months ago

    Interestingly, I've found the Wii Iplayer to work far smoother than the PS3 one. Of course I have my PC if all else fails...

  • TudeScud #34 11 months ago

    Having used Netflix in Canada, I can tell you I was both impressed and largely disappointed. I found the streaming from a PS3 (on Wifi to boot) to be shockingly fast, with an absolute terrible connection (we're lucky to get speeds of 1 Mb). That said, we were probably only receiving 480i (which I was quite satisfied with). The pricing is quite affordable too, especially compared to weekly rentals ala the town's local shop. Where it all falls apart though, is the incredibly weak catalog, said to be less than a tenth of that in the US and almost nothing new.

    Not having the option to receive mail-in DVD is quite troublesome too, especially considering the new bandwidth caps the IPs are forcing upon us (with 30 gigs being a high-end package, accompanying astronomical prices of $90/month in our rural area) in respect to the CRTC ruling.

    Of course we have postage issues (vast country), that those of you across the pond may not have to worry about.

  • bbvDJC #35 10 months ago

    @KrispyBacon

    £13 for 10+ films is okay i suppose, but its nothing compared to our offer.
    For £9.99 you are entitled to an unlimited allowance for the month on DVD and Blu-ray! It also means that you get 10% off anything retail in store (except consoles and multi-buys). Also, instead of getting sent the films you pick from your playlist randomly from lovefilm, whatever you pick on your blockbusters playlist is guaranteed to be sent to you straight away, in the order that you choose. Its also not contracted, which means that you can cancel at anytime, with no problems.

    But yeah sure, £13 for 10+ movies is okay. :)