Netflix arrives in Spain

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings

Netflix has expanded its European footprint by launching in Spain today, with CEO Reed Hastings pledging to invest in local production.

Hastings was in Madrid alongside chief content officer Ted Sarandos and cast members from some of Netflix’s original productions today to unveil the service to the Spanish press.

The Spanish version of the US streaming service launches with shows such as crime thriller Narcos, adventure series Marco Polo, sitcom The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Marvel’s Daredevil.

However, two of Netflix’s most popular original series – House of Cards and Orange is the New Black – are not available, as pay TV platform Canal+ already owns the Spanish rights.

Hastings said today that the company is keen to commission local productions in Spain, following the same path it has taken in other territories where it has launched such as the UK and France.

Sarandos added that Netflix had already spoken with Spanish producers and was actively looking for a project in Spain, where the company will compete with VoD services such as Movistar TV from Spanish telco giant Telefónica.

The exec also discussed the possibility of eventually including Catalan dubbing on the service, which is currently only targeted at Spanish speakers.

Netflix offers three different price plans for its subscription service in Spain, beginning at €7.99 (US$9.08) a month. All new subscribers get the first month for free, with the service available to Apple TV, Google TV Chromecast and Vodafone users.

Netflix launched in Australia and New Zealand in March and will also roll out in Italy and Portugal this month following its arrival in France and Germany last year.

The firm plans to complete its global roll-out by the end of 2016 and recently confirmed launches in South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan for early 2016.