Telefónica lures Netflix into its content aggregator platform

Telefónica and Netflix have jointly announced a global partnership which allow the telco’s customers to watch the popular streaming service through its content platform.

As part of the deal, integrate Netflix’s service into Telefónica’s TV and video platforms across Europe and Latin America, while also allowing customers to pay for the service as part of their monthly Telefónica bill. The first launches will be in LATAM over the next couple of week, while the plan is to launch in Spain towards the end of 2018.

“This agreement is a big step forward in Telefónica’s bet on open innovation and collaboration with leading companies around the world,” said José María Álvarez-Pallete, Chairman of Telefónica. “We want to offer our customers the most compelling video offering possible, whether it’s our own content or third party providers. The partnership with Netflix will significantly enhance our existing multichannel video platforms.”

“Over the next several years, our partnership with Telefónica will benefit millions of consumers who will be able to easily access their favorite Netflix shows, documentaries, stand-ups, kids content and movies across a range of Telefonica platforms,” said Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO. “Making Netflix available on Telefónica’s familiar, easy-to-use TV and video platforms enables consumers to watch all the content they love in one place.”

The aggregator strategy is perhaps the most logical way for telcos to make any meaningful impact on the content world, a key prong as the businesses search for the much lauded convergence business model. While it might seem like an attractive idea to own content or chase lucrative rights deals, realistically, the traditional telco business model does not lend itself suitably to the content industry.

Owning the content space, like Netflix in the streaming world or Sky in the UK’s pay TV market, is a different approach to business. It requires undertaking a greater level of risk and offering creative individuals the opportunity to make decisions which might not sit comfortably with everyone. It also requires agility, relationships with the production industry and a more extroverted brand. When you consider these factors, telcos are not set up to launch an assault on the content space. It is also a time consuming job.

Looking at the BT content platform, the sports feature was attractive to customers, but some might argue the lack of supporting content in other genres frustrated customers. Building the entire content package, like Sky has for instance, takes a lot of time, considerable effort and notable investment. BT’s lack of depth in it content offering is starting to show, as subscribers start moving towards the exit.

That is not to say the telcos will not be able to compete in this segment, however transforming the business will take time and the content revolution is here right now. The consumption of content is changing drastically, shifting towards mobile, presenting a notable opportunity for the telcos. Telcos don’t have to own content, but they can own the relationship with the consumer, who is increasingly becoming frustrated with the increasingly fragmented distribution of video. Aggregating all this content into one space is a logical way which the telcos can add value to the content ecosystem.

The telcos have arguably perfected the billing relationship with the customer and offer a non-intrusive way to put content in-front of the user. Minimising the number of bills would also be an attractive idea to the consumer, while simultaneously increasing the ‘stickiness’ of the telcos. Negotiating the relationships with companies like Netflix, will be a time consuming process, there are so many of them after all, but it is an excellent way for the telcos to stay relevant and avoid the dreaded tag of utility.