Netflix Thinking World Domination
No need to panic folks, I’m not talking about anything violent here. But according to Adweek.com, Netflix is panning on going global shortly.
Currently the online video and DVD distributor provides service in the US and Canada, but has been talking with several advertising and media agencies about possible international assignments.
According to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, as soon as the recently launched Canadian operation gets its bearings, the company would consider entering the Europe, Latin America and Asia are markets. An effort to start service in the UK back in 2004 was aborted, the company feeling then that it needed to devote its full energies to the US business.
Though talks have been reported as ongoing, it is not clear which agencies the company has reached out to yet. Some have called the discussions “exploratory conversations” and it has been stressed that assignments in the US are not currently under review, despite rumors to the contrary. Depending on how the company’s expansions plans evolve during the discussions, all of that could change of course. WPP’s MediaCom handles U. S. media agency chores, while Omnicom Group’s Goodby, Silverstein & Partners is responsible for the creative side of things. MediaCom has reportedly had a tough year, capped by the recent defection of longtime pharma client GSK, but Netflix has been reported as being pleased with their work
Netflix has been in the headlines a lot it seems recently (I know I myself have written a few stories about them in the past couple weeks). Some have seen their moves as a political threat to companies like Hulu, as they begin to offer on demand TV content like Saturday Night Live within a day of its original airing. Others are questioning their long-term viability as competitors like Amazon, Apple and a number of big-name retailers have also entered the online video distribution area. Even Sears has jumped on board, recently announcing an offering of its own.
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