Netflix has confirmed that it will launch in Spain this October.

Netflix also confirmed its will be priced similarly to that in other European countries.

Reed Hastings, the company’s co-founder and CEO, said that he thinks Spain will become one of its most successful markets due to the high connection rate, familiarity with electronic commerce and the interest already shown in Netflix.

Piracy concerns In Spain also existed in the Netherlands and Canada, and in each case Netflix has become successful. “We can think of this as the bottled water business. Tap water can be drunk and is free, but there is still a public that demands bottled water”.

Commenting on agreements with existing players in Spain, Hastings said that it has a good relationship with Telefónica, having already worked with the company in Latin America.

The cost of the service, which will be available in both Spanish and original language, will be comparable to that in other European markets (around €8 a month).

Because of its major European expansion planned for late 2015, many analysts have indicated that Netflix will launch in Spain next year.
Throughout 2014, while Spain has been slowly starting to leave the financial crisis behind, OTT, streaming and video-on-demand (VOD) platforms have seen growth, led by Wuaki.tv and Canal+’s Yomvi.

Also, the recent approval of a strict copyright law has driven pirate and unregulated streaming sites to closure, reducing piracy rates in Spain which was one the most important factors behind Netflix’s reluctance to operate in the country.

Jonathan Friedland, head of Netflix’s communication department, was quick to publicly deny a rumour that Netflix would be launching in Spain in 2015.

Netflix currently has 53 million subs worldwide, although less than 15 million are outside the US. The company has been operating in other large markets since it launched in Latin America in 2011, a region in which it currently has a third part of its international subs base.