Advanced Television

Youzee replicates Netflix model in Spain

December 2, 2011

From David Del Valle in Madrid

The Spanish replica of Netflix is called Youzee. Controlled 75 per cent by the cinema company Yelmo, this online video store has launched its Beta service (with access only through invitation) with plans to become commercial in the first quarter of 2012.

The platform distributes films and TV series for a monthly fee of E6.99 with access to the whole catalogue for between €1.99 and €4.99 per programme depending on its novelty and picture quality (HD or SD). Viewers will have up to 48 hours to watch it and will only need 3 Mb for HD content.

Initially, Youzee will distribute over 1,000 films and TV series from many different studios and content providers. The company has reached deals with several important majors like Disney, Sony and Fox, as well as with over a dozen of TV channels and independent distributors such as Zinkia, Vertice 360, Filmax and channels like BBC, RTVE or TV3.

The service will be initially available through the Internet to all users but will be extended to all distribution platforms: TV, iPhones and Android phones and console video games. Youzee is also integrated into Facebook and Twitter that allows users to make comments, recommendations and share information about the TV content available.

The company, with a staff of 46 from 10 different nationalities, plans to extend the service internationally. The launch of Youzee comes soon after Netflix has decided to postpone its entry into the Spanish market among other reasons due to the high level of piracy -the latest figures reveal that in the first half of the year 77.3 per cent of digital content in Spain was pirated.

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