Microsoft undecided on Netflix-style service for Europe

By Ellie Gibson Published 3 March, 2009

But UK boss denies we're being left behind.

UK Xbox boss Neil Thompson has declined to comment on when - or indeed whether - European 360 owners will ever get a Netflix-style movie download service.

"Netflix is a great deal in the US, and we're looking at what we might want to do here in the future," Thompson told Eurogamer. "But we think the content we're offering is broad-ranging and pretty deep. We have to evolve the live service in different territories at different speeds, depending on what we're able to achieve."

Thompson was speaking during a press event to promote Microsoft's new deal with Universal Pictures, which will see 30 new films added to the European movie download library. Well, 30 old films, but they're new to Xbox Live.

"We're announcing 30 movies for Universal but on the service there's over 300, so the choice is fairly broad, and we're updating it daily," said Thompson.

But 300 is not a lot compared to 10,000 (unless you're a Spartan obviously), and that's the number of films American Xbox Live users can access. It's all down to the deal with Netflix which was announced at last year's E3 and launched last "fall". More than a million US Xbox 360 owners have since taken advantage, but there's still no news of any such service launching over here. So isn't this a case of poor old Europe being left behind again?

"I think that's reasonably unfair," said Thompson. "We have a history with Xbox, certainly with Xbox 360 and its launch, where Europe has always had a similar launch for much of the technology we've delivered.

"When it comes to the Live service, yes, there is a difference with Netflix. But with much of the content and services we provide, Europe's been pretty much at the forefront of what we've been trying to do."

So, any chance we might see a Netflix-style deal in Europe by, say, the end of this year? "I don't know yet where we're going to take the services we've got," Thompson said. "We're concentrating on delivering the services we've got and bolstering the content we've got."

He added, "There will be evolutions of that service, absolutely, but I'm not going to give you any timelines or specifics." Oh well.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (49) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Burkey #1 3 years ago

    Sounds pretty much like a no to me. Damn it.

  • Thunderbolt #2 3 years ago

    I'm keen on this service however at the right price obviously.

    I mean the deal I have with Lovefilm is ok until something better comes along

  • mcmonkeyplc #3 3 years ago

    He didn't actually say anything there.

  • McBradders #4 3 years ago

    There -is- a away for us poor Euro's to get in on the netflix action...

    ...but still, it's a pain and Microsoft should look in to a European solution to the issue.

  • woodnotes #5 3 years ago

    Netflix aren't operating in Europe, so how can MS bring a non-existant service to Live? There's also nothing like Netflix within the UK market.

    Best they can do is something like BT Vision to bring IPTV to everyone via the 360, no matter what broadband provider you are with. And bring with it the likes of BBC/ITV/C4/C5 catch-up content to watch instantly from your 360.

    It's completely possible and would give the 360 a real push here without a doubt. Will be interesting to see if Hulu is integrated in to the 360 later this year in the US.

  • Dizzy #6 3 years ago

    Hulu also does not operate in Europe sadly.

    It is not an issue of MS wanting to do this, it is an issue of European companies trying to protect the market. Glottalization my ass.

  • NotSoSlim #7 3 years ago

    @ woodnotes

    Maybe partner up witha company like LoveFilm or even blockbusters. Same goes for Sony as well just that Sony have loads of movies from there company and partners but Europe just gets dumped on

  • YobRenoops #8 3 years ago

    That BT Vision like via the Xbox360 has been cancelled. They're just not announcing it.

  • Eighthours #9 3 years ago

    "I think that's reasonably unfair,"

    No it isn't. It's the truth and he knows it!

  • evild_edd #10 3 years ago

    In all fairness to MS, their treatment of European customers far exceeds the other console manufacturers (though I'm not sure the simultaneous World-wide launch of the 360 could be classed as a success)

    Sony have raised their game since MS's arrival on scene, but Nintendo seem pretty content on sticking two fingers up at anyone outside Japan/US when it comes to release schedules.

    The movie/TV content seems to be the exception to this generalisation wtih MS. It's a shame, but I'm not convinced I'd use it even if it was there (the existing content seems all a little pricey IMHO)

  • Rash' #11 3 years ago

    360's a games console, not a media centre...

  • Mr_Dodger #12 3 years ago

    "But with much of the content and services we provide, Europe's been pretty much at the forefront of what we've been trying to do."

    Such as? Anyone?

    Even in house content like the coverage of Comic Con, or the Short films by horror Directors we don't get. There is absolutely no parity between the regions. But clearly he's not going to come out and say that.

  • Seoh #13 3 years ago

    Sounds like the same old copyright crap that allways effects europe and prevents us from getting any of this stuff.

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #14 3 years ago

    Connected up to Live at the weekend for the first time and hugely unimpressed with the film offerings. Under 'Foreign and Independent Films' there's a grand total of.... one film. A Clockwork Orange.

    Fucking rubbish.

    Why not strike a deal with a group such as LoveFilm to provide the content? It really wouldn't be that hard to put in place.

  • zombies #15 3 years ago

    Easy... but not enough share of the ££ for MS.

  • Markusdragon #16 3 years ago

    And where the fuck is the BT vision deal that MS secured ages ago?

  • gdrosier #17 3 years ago

    It would be nice if the rest of europe got the same content as even the UK -being an expat in Belgium I have no movies at all :0)

  • mazzl #18 3 years ago

    the rest of europe get's absolutely nothing.
    i'm from the netherlands, and we only have some dubious comedy series and that's it. no movies at all.

    to bad, they should just connect to the piratebay ;)

  • dr_lha #19 3 years ago

    This article overestimates MS's part in the Netflix online streaming. All MS do is distribute a Netflix client. Netflix streaming was on PCs long before it was on Xbox360, and its also available on a cheap set-top box ($99 Roku box), HD TiVos (which is how I get my Netflix fix) and many TVs and Blu-Ray players now have the client built in.

    I.e. to have something like Netflix in the UK on Xbox, you actually have to have something like Netflix in the UK. Its not up to Microsoft to set it up.

  • Vin #20 3 years ago

    Give it another ten years or so, and the average connection speed for the UK might be half-decent.

  • XdarXideX #21 3 years ago

    Blockbuster + Netflix = win?

  • skillian #22 3 years ago

    Give it another ten years or so, and the average connection speed for the UK might be half-decent.

    The average broadband speed in the UK is faster than the average in the US.

  • Farzlepot #23 3 years ago

    I've downloaded a couple of movies on the 360 before now - it's the only practical way I have of seeing them in proper HD, instead of just upscaled DVDs (which are OK, but you can't *quite* see just how ugly the actors really are). But aside from one or two movies, The Dark Knight being one, there really isn't a great deal of choice. Which is a shame, both for me and Microsoft, as I'd download more if they were available.
    Edited by 1 at 03/03/09 @ 12:36

  • Linkified #24 3 years ago

    Over 300 movies on marketplace my arse. That includes all there inside xbox stuff plus trailers.

    And yeh I don't mind what your doing, however, do not take down fucking movies. Like 300 on for about 4 weeks

  • rogermellie #25 3 years ago

    I thought Lovefilm was the owned by Netflics.

  • Domovoi #26 3 years ago

    "But we think the content we're offering is broad-ranging and pretty deep."

    Funny. I think the content you're offering is bare minimum and extremely shallow. How is the ability to download a couple of trailers "broad-ranging and pretty deep"? I mean, I really don't see anything else in terms of content. Oh yeah, I can buy one, -one- movie, and that's the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

  • mjbr #27 3 years ago

    live in finland... in jan 2008, chose t 360 over t ps3 cause i thought id get to rent hd movies online sometime soon. game selection wasnt an issue. and how stupid i was...
    regret big time now... here in finland we cant even watch t trailers. i dont really know why t f..k there is a video mktplace!
    if i had bought t ps3 id be able to at least rent hd movies in stores...

  • Tmecha #28 3 years ago

    Atleast you have movies, in Australia we have nothing. Not even movie trailers.

  • videogangs #29 3 years ago

    I've used this service once to pick up the Dark Knight in 720p, more to test the quality than anything. The pricing still isn't right, especially with the weakness of the GBP right now, and they have much smaller operating overheads than say all the Blockbuster stores in the country.

    What pisses me off is the attitude of this Neil Thompson guy. I work for a UK arm of a very large American company (making military systems) and he comes across exactely how our MDs do over here- rather than advocating and pushing the corporation to deliver the best service possible, he's running a glorified PR mission on their behalf. I understand they need to be seen not to be at odds, but standing up for his corner would go a long way. Right now he seems to be blatantly lying to the UK consumer to keep up appearances.

  • dr_lha #30 3 years ago

    "Blockbuster + Netflix = win?"

    No, Blockbuster and Netflix are competitors.

  • mezzomorto #31 3 years ago

    Here in Spain you can rent movies through XBL but they seem to have had the English audio stripped out (I admit I haven't tried any, just going by what the description says).

    As renting movies through XBL costs me the same as renting them from my local shop, why can't I also have the choice of language I view them in?

    I know it's a minor quibble when faced with lack of decent content (or no content at all going by what people have mentioned re Belgian and Finnish XBL) but still, it's the principle of the thing.

    Also, does anyone know whether creating a profile with a UK address would then allow me access to the UK movie content?

  • siro #32 3 years ago

    On the forefront of the service? Did they actually try the US offering as of late? There's so much more going on on US Live!

  • hiddenranbir #33 3 years ago

    Internet quality is different here than it is in US. We need a lot more of our people on fibre optic and off those copper wires

  • videogangs #34 3 years ago

    In fairness the internet services here are hardly bad- I've moved from a 10MB Virgin fiber line down to a 4MB/s copper line in the last 6 months and it's still been a perfectly acceptable speed. We may not be able to get streaming 720p all over the place but that's certainly no excuse not to put the libraries up for download. Seems to me it's more of a licensing issue than anything with the film studios.

  • cyber_nicco #35 3 years ago

    Netflix now has 12,000+ movies for download - not 10,000.

  • cyber_nicco #36 3 years ago

    Besides Netflix, Xbox Live! has many hundreds of films for rent (in the US). I admit, I didn't realize it is quite so dire in Europe (or even in the UK).

  • interceptor #37 3 years ago

    If the roll out of services on Live can't be achieved as fast as what it can in the US, why are we paying the same amount/more than them for Gold subs?

    Simple question, Mr Thompson....

  • Linkified #38 3 years ago

    @interceptor: its so they can use the money to buying exclusive content for games

  • MightyMouse #39 3 years ago

    I don't think they're discriminating exactly, they're just not pushing for the requisite stuff to happen to allow them to roll it out in Europe. Whilst I'm not endorsing piracy this is exactly the kind of thing that increases it, engineering a situation where one bunch of people cannot get a product legally, only illegally.

    At some point surely the entertainment industry will notice that they could make a vast amount more money if they just offered people the same services that they offer in the US.

  • Pasco #40 3 years ago

    Ellie, I love you.

    This time it is because of the Spartan bit.

  • actionfitz #41 3 years ago

    "UK Xbox boss Mr Cock-blanket has declined to comment on when - or indeed whether - European 360 owners will ever get a Netflix-style movie download service."

    in response the European Xbox live user base collectively fell out of their chairs and inadvertently swallowed their own arses in shock.
    Being normally used to such sterling treatment from American entertainment content providers...

    true story.

  • Rodchenko #42 3 years ago

    use my 360 as a Media Centre all the time. It has the benefit of already being hooked up to my TV and speaker system.
    I also use it to play video games.

    Rash's posts was a jab at certain 360 owners who accuse the PS3 of being a jack of all trades instead of a 'proper' hardcore gaming console (like the 360)

    That said, I would love to have Netflix here in Europe, but I agree with Dizzy, that the individual EU markets will make it rather difficult to become a reality.

    // fires up Xtorrent as revenge

  • bonker #43 3 years ago

    I gotta say guys, on the assumption that most of you are under 50 years of age, I'm stunned that any of you give a flying fuck about this??

    There are still people around who pay to watch films??

  • bonker #44 3 years ago

    "The average broadband speed in the UK is faster than the average in the US. "

    That sounds great until you compare the size of the countries :)

  • malmer #45 3 years ago

    So where is the scandinavian video marketplace?

  • XdarXideX #46 3 years ago

    @dr_lha

    They're not REALLY competitors though are they? Netflix is completely web-based. If Blockbuster were to... I don't know... strike a deal with a well-known quality web-based rental service (/hint) to offer their own similar services elsewhere in the world maybe they could distribute over xbox live as well... broadening the range of movies available and adding some TV shows too.
    Edited by 1 at 04/03/09 @ 10:50

  • YobRenoops #47 3 years ago

    To reiterate the BT Vision thing on xbox 360 has been cancelled (as of August Last year) within BT.

  • sneetch #48 3 years ago

    "I think that's reasonably unfair," said Thompson. "We have a history with Xbox, certainly with Xbox 360 and its launch, where Europe has always had a similar launch for much of the technology we've delivered.

    "When it comes to the Live service, yes, there is a difference with Netflix. But with much of the content and services we provide, Europe's been pretty much at the forefront of what we've been trying to do."

    "Unfair"? What is this? Kindergarten?

    The US has Netflix with 10,000 movies, we don't, we don't have any comparable equivalent so we are being left behind then.

    I appreciate that there are all sorts of legal and regional issues with this and there's probably no way of offering Netflix in Europe at all right now but it's a fact that we are being left behind and his weak jedi mind trick doesn't change that. (Oh and an incredible amount of those 300 movies on XBox live ATM are complete shite, IMHO).

  • kipper #49 3 years ago

    @ mezzomorto re:
    Also, does anyone know whether creating a profile with a UK address would then allow me access to the UK movie content?


    I made a fake USA account and have access to all the US videos and stuff (I live in Netherlands but set up my Xbox that I am in UK so that its all in English).
    So yes, you can make as many international Xbox profiles as you want. Its pretty easy.