Netflix quickly became THE video on demand service par excellence in France, setting its pace on the competition! The offer, divided into three packages, gives access to millions of films, series and documentaries directly from the web, or from compatible smartphones, tablets and smart TVs. Netflix also provides access to HD, HDR and Dolby Vision quality content on selected devices. In this file, we tell you everything you need to know about Netflix!
Netflix is not a television channel, but a video on demand service. Founded in 1997 around mail-order DVD rental, the company reinvented itself in 2007 by becoming an unlimited video-on-demand platform. The service is hugely successful around the world. In July 2021, the platform had no less than 206 million subscribers worldwide. However, its progress has been slowed by the success of TikTok and YouTube.
It is also a veritable institution in France where Netflix very quickly took its place as the leader in SVOD services. Today, Netflix has achieved no less than 69% market share in France according to the latest study by the CNC (National Center for Cinema and Animated Image). VOD service counts 8.6 million subscribers in France, or 25% of French households. Another example of the growing popularity of the service in our country, Netflix represented 20% of French internet traffic in July 2021, far, far ahead of Google. In any case, this was revealed by the Arcep survey on the French internet.
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What explains the success of Netflix?.
One of the keys to success is based on the subscription system and access to thousands of content for a reasonable price. For a starting price of 8.99 euros per month, the entire catalog of films and series is available without any limits. Enough to make it completely obsolete to rent a film or an episode, even for a few euros. Moreover, the legal offer remained limited before the arrival of Netflix. Hadopi explained in a report what were the weak points of the legal offer before the emergence of Netflix and others: offer difficult to find, content too old and of poor quality and price too high. So many flaws that Netflix has brilliantly exploited.
The unlimited subscription system has made history. He had already made the success of Spotify and Deezer to name a few, but yet no French actor offered an equivalent in video. Before the arrival of Netflix, the market leader was Canal Play (then 400,000 subscribers). Today it is only the 6th player, behind Netflix, Orange with OCS, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and MyTF1 (according to the same CNC-CSA study). Finally there is the quality of the interface. Both on the web and on mobile applications, everything is extremely well thought out. An artificial intelligence learns your tastes, and knows how to offer you over time the content that you will be sure to appreciate.
Netflix catalog: what films, series and documentaries can we find on the platform?
Netflix’s content catalog is constantly being renewed with thousands of films, series, documentaries, cartoons, etc. Netflix itself produces movies like The Irishman/ Tyler Rake/ Marriage Story and series, such as the excellent Stranger Things, 13 Reasons Why, Dark, The OA, Lupin, The Witcher, Le Jeu De La Dame and many more, all episodes of which are offered at the same time on the platform. Enough to swallow up your favorite series and not have to wait a week to see the next episode.
Producing this kind of series is also a way to offer new content in the face of competition and encourage subscribers to stay to discover the following seasons. These productions are also there to mask the absence of some recent big films in the Netflix catalog – the aim of the service is not, in itself, to be exhaustive, but to offer content that is worth subscribing. .
It would be very difficult for Netflix to operate otherwise with this economic model: in France, for example, it is necessary wait 3 years after a cinema release for the film to end up on an SVOD platform. The famous media chronology forces Netflix to wait several years before putting a feature film online.
As a result, Netflix is investing completely crazy sums to produce its own films and series. In 2021, Netflix will also invest the record sum of 21 billion dollars to produce content. For example, the platform signed a major partnership in June 2021 with Steven Spielberg for the production and direction of several upcoming films exclusively on Netflix.
Note also that Netflix recently added a new string to its bow. Indeed, the platform has launched into video games with Netflix Gaming, a service which currently allows you to play a few mobile titles inspired by the service’s flagship series such as Stranger Things in particular. Note that this feature is available to all subscribers, regardless of the formula. The only downside is that these games are currently only available on Android.
Netflix subscription: how much does it cost?
The price of Netflix subscriptions in France last increased in October 2021. It breaks down as follows into three offers ranging from entry-level to premium. Here is the price list in force in France is as follows:
- Essential at €8.99/month (instead of €7.99/month). This offer offers viewing on a single screen and in standard definition (SD)
- Standard at €13.49/month (instead of €13.99/month). This offer allows you to watch Netflix on two screens simultaneously and in maximum high definition (HD)
- Premium at €17.99/month (instead of €15.99/month). This own offer four screens simultaneously, in maximum 4K, in Dolby Atmos and in HDR
Recently, Netflix no longer offers the first subscription for free. On the other hand, Netflix refunds your 7-day trial if you are not satisfied. For the time being, the streaming service offers several formulas to entice subscribers. In some cases, Netflix does refund the 30-day trial.
The most recent smartphones, tablets and smart TVs are compatible with new types of content. We are not talking here about HD, which is found on a majority of devices. But no more HDR and Dolby Vision. These formats rely on algorithms to enhance colors and contrast, for stunning results. HDR means High Dynamic Range. Initially this term referred to a technique of computer-assisted photography: by taking pictures of a scene several times with different exposures, it becomes possible to capture more details, even in the darkest and brightest areas of the image. picture.
An algorithm then stitches the different shots together to create a final image with a much higher level of detail and contrast. Several efforts have been made since the 1990s to implement this technique in videos. Netflix offers subscribers HDR10 and Dolby Vision content.
Credits: Dolby VisionThe first difference between the two is that HDR10 is open, while Dolby Vision is a proprietary technology. The whole point of Dolby Vision is actually to be able to add dynamic metadata data to each frame that gives more precise exposure and dynamic range instructions. This information is then compared against the technical capabilities of the device, the colorimetry and contrasts are corrected to display on all compatible screens in the same way.
In other words, HDR10 is already very good, but Dolby Vision can still provide gains in image quality. To enjoy HDR and Dolby Vision content on a smartphone, you must have a fast internet connection, at least 25 Mb/s downlink. Click here to see the list of HD, HDR and Dolby Vision compatible smartphones.
Netflix vs cinema vs TV: unfair competition?
French regulations protect national channels upon the arrival of the American giant. Netflix is therefore not allowed to broadcast films that were released in theaters less than 36 months ago. So don’t expect to enjoy movies that are too recent on demand. At the same time, French channels are already beginning to adopt the same methods as the American giant to broadcast series, namely offer all the episodes of the series all at once on video on demand from the first episode broadcast. Enough to satisfy series addicts who want to watch them at their own pace.
To protect themselves against the rise of Netflix, TF1, the channels of the France Télévisions group and M6, have launched Salto, a French alternative. Priced from 7 to 13 euros per month, the streaming service offers series, films and documentaries and 100% French productions.
The question of participation in the financing of audiovisual creation also arises since all the television channels participate in it. De facto, the French government has negotiated with the main streaming platforms, including Netflix, so that part of their income can finance French productions. Netflix will pay between 150 and 200 million euros per year, or 20% to 25% of its turnover in France.
Finally, note that Netflix has always said it wants to invest in French series. We have only seen Marseille, a fictional film on the political life of the Marseille city with Gérard Depardieu, Osmosis, a failed dystopia on the future of Tinder-type dating apps, or even Lupin, a modern reinterpretation of the work of Maurice Leblanc , with Omar Sy. Driven by the success of the latter, Netflix aims to continue its investments in France.
