As Netflix expands across Europe, the company will see its international subscriptions jump from one-tenth to one-fifth of total subscriptions, according to analysis from IHS.
“Over the next four years, growth rates will accelerate,” said the report’s author, Richard Broughton, director of broadband analysis at IHS Technology.
By the end of 2014, Netflix will launch in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, adding five to six million new subscribers.
“Between the expansion of Netflix and its growing popularity in markets such as the UK, Ireland, Netherlands and Scandinavia, we anticipate that the company will add a total of eight million new subscribers to its European tally by the end of 2018,” Broughton added.
Since it first launched in 1997, Netflix has reached almost 54 million subscribers across the globe and according to the company’s latest financial report, its international subscriptions outside of the US grew 78% year on year to reach just short of 14 million.
There has been a large global shift towards online subscription services and standalone subscription services such as Netflix are expected to average 18% annual growth over the next five years.
IHS said the Netflix roll-out will propel Western Europe’s online subscription market to an anticipated 35% average annual growth over the same period.
