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 Netflix is talking with telecoms group Belgacom and cable operators,
it said, in an effort to mirror distribution deals with Deutsche
Telekom in Germany and Bouygues in France.
While Netflix is available online and many newer TV sets and media
players have a Netflix application built in, partnering with a
telecoms company may help reach those customers who do not have
access to such technology.
"If Netflix is available on the same remote and decoder as
traditional TV, it will be even simpler to watch Netflix on a TV
set," a spokesman for Netflix said in an email response after
confirming talks were ongoing.
Cable operator Telenet, which has two million TV subscribers, said
it was not in talks with the U.S. group.
Telenet, majority owned by U.S. company Liberty Global, has
feverishly stepped up its preparations for the arrival of Netflix by
launching its own on-demand library.
Voo, which has nearly 1 million subscribers in the French-speaking
region of Wallonia, is Belgium's other major cable TV operator.
On Wednesday, Telenet announced it had renewed its partnership with
U.S. broadcaster HBO for exclusive access to its hit series such as
Game of Thrones, and announced it would start to make its own
Dutch-language TV series.
Former state telecoms monopoly Belgacom, which has 1.5 million TV
customers, and Voo declined to comment further.
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Netflix launched its service in France, Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg this week for 7.99 euros
($10.28) or 11.90 Swiss francs ($12.69) per month.
It is also available in Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands and the
Nordic countries.
(1 US dollar = 0.7772 euro)
(1 US dollar = 0.9379 Swiss franc)
(Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek and Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by
Tom Heneghan and Crispian Balmer)
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