Netflix arrives on TalkTalk YouView boxes

TalkTalk has added Netflix to the roster of video-on-demand services available through its YouView boxes. The company says those who have previously registered an interest in receiving Netflix will be the first to benefit from the rollout, with all TalkTalk television customers having access to the service by the end of the month. 

TalkTalk’s chief rival, BT, has offered Netflix subscriptions to its YouView customers for some time, and the company has long promised its 1.2 million television customers that the service would eventually arrive on its network. TalkTalk doesn’t appear to be selling Netflix subscriptions itself, however, meaning customers will need to sign up with Netflix directly, with prices starting from £5.99 per month. 

Netflix is fast becoming the de facto video-on-demand service. In North America, it accounts for 35% of all internet traffic, according to the latest figures from Sandvine. The web traffic analyst doesn’t provide UK-specific figures, but given that Netflix is only available in a select few European countries and yet it still accounts for 5.5% of European web traffic, it’s safe to assume Netflix is pretty big over here, too. 

YouView vs Freeview vs Freesat: which is best?

It’s been a big week for TalkTalk and video-on-demand. Earlier this week the company announced it had acquired Blinkbox from Tesco, along with 75,000 of the supermarket’s broadband subscribers. However, TalkTalk plans to shut down the loss-making Blinkbox as a standalone service and integrate its technology into the company’s existing products.

“We are excited about the opportunity that Blinkbox’s platform and technology expertise bring, and which will significantly accelerate the development of our TV platform,” said TalkTalk chief executive Dido Harding, adding that the company expected the integration of Blinkbox to be completed by the end of the year.