Belgacom is now selling all of its commercial services under the Proximus brand, and has kicked off the next chapter for the Belgian operator by also unveiling a deal to add Netflix to Proximus TV.
The operator's decision to adopt Proximus as a single brand for its mobile, TV and fixed communications services was first revealed in March and formally took effect on Sept. 29. The move reflects the general trend across Europe to offer converged packages of mobile and fixed services, and will reinforce Belgacom's already dominant position in this area on its domestic market.
"Of course, the launch of the new Proximus is not the end point, but rather the beginning of a real transformation. And it is our customers who will reap the fruits of this all along," said Belgacom CEO Dominique Leroy.
The deal with Netflix also underscores increased efforts by operators to add more content to their service plans as they seek to attract and retain new users. While Netflix has been generally available in Belgium since Sept. 19, Belgacom is the first operator in the country to announce a direct relationship with the TV and video streaming company. It said Proximus customers will be able to watch Netflix directly via Proximus TV by the end of the year.
"Netflix is without doubt a new player which has been very eagerly awaited; I'm proud to announce this partnership which reflects the dynamics of our new brand and enables us to offer an amazing experience to our customers on Proximus TV," said Phillip Vandervoort, chief consumer market officer of Belgacom.
Proximus will offer various promotions that include access to Netflix in the coming months. The operator joins others in Europe by offering direct access to the Netflix service: the U.S. company is looking to broaden its potential to gain new customers outside of its regular internet-streamed service, following similar distribution deals between itself and Deutsche Telekom in Germany and Bouygues Telecom in France.
Last month Netflix launched services in Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. More than 63 million broadband households in these six European countries can now subscribe to Netflix services, which are also available in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries.
For more:
- see this Belgacom release on Proximus TV
- see this Belgacom release on the new brand
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