Courtesy of tomsguide.com

Netflix is planning to expand its streaming service across Europe, making it available to a total of 13 countries by the end of this month. This would mean an increase of its already 13-million-strong international subscriptions.

This won’t be without its challenges, however.

Netflix already streams in the Netherlands, Britain, and Nordic countries, all of which comfortably watch their shows in English. With the expansion, though, Netflix will be encountering nations that would prefer to watch shows in their native languages. France and Germany even have a tendency to dub American shows and movies for their viewers.

“I think Netflix will face a much stiffer test in France and Germany because of the language issue,” Toby Syfret of Enders Analysis noted. “It will need to invest in localized content but the question remains how much and if it can afford it.”

In addition, Netflix won’t be the only streaming service. Its competition will include services like Canal Plus and Sky Deutschland.

Some point out the negative impact this move will have. According to Forbes‘ Schuyler Moore, this expansion will ruin independent film financing, since sometimes those films sell their rights to foreign markets in order to fully finance their projects.

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