According to reports, the launch has thus far received a hostile response from local media amid fears that it will erode the “cultural exception” in France.
Bouygues is the first French operator to launch Netflix services, and Vivendi-owned pay-TV provider Canal Plus has already launched its own video streaming service to rival that of Netflix.
France’s number one operator Orange has also announced plans to launch video streaming services and has confirmed it will not host Neflix on its boxes.
A senior manager of one telecoms firm told a local newspaper that Netflix’s financial terms were disagreeable.
“We receive between 20-35% of the revenue to distribute a service but Netflix is offering us a ridiculously small share. No operator is interested in signing now,” the source said.
In a bid to win over the French market, Netflix has said it will produce an original French TV series called “Marseille” – a political thriller set in the city – and has also bought the rights to a French children’s cartoon series called Wakfu.
