Seven Network mulls plan to rival Netflix

Netflix is reportedly coming to Australia next year and free-to-air TV players are gearing up to give the US behemoth a run for its money.

The latest move in the space is coming from Seven, which is reportedly mulling an online streaming service to rival Netflix.

According to The Australian, Seven has been mulling potential partnership opportunities with a number of players, including Optus, digital TV platform Freeview and listed subscription service provider Quickflix.

Seven’s aspirations are in part motivated by the reported arrival of Netflix next year, but also by the broader push of local networks competing in the space.

Nine is reportedly working towards launching its own streaming service, codenamed Stream Co, by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Foxtel is tweaking its product offerings with Foxtel Presto and locking in premium content such as Game of Thrones to maintain its position in the market.

With Netflix still firmly focused on the home market with an eye on Europe, there’s still some doubt about how excited Netflix is about coming to Australia

However, The Australian reports that Netflix is in talks about output deals for Australian content that can be streamed ­locally and in other markets.