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HBO to rival Netflix in Spain

HBO intends to take on Netflix in Spain by launching a streaming service later this year

HBO intends to take on Netflix in Spain by launching a streaming service later this year.

The Time Warner company plans to retain the exclusive rights to its shows for the service, and no longer licence its programming to pay-TV operations within Spain.

It is anticipated that the service will be similarly priced to HBO Nordic, which currently boasts 650,000 subscribers.

The web-only channel, which has been available in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark since 2012, was recently introduced in the US and Columbia, with a view to making it widely available in Latin America.

In Spain, around three quarters of the population have high-speed internet, and half of that figure subscribe to broadband, but not pay-TV, according to research firm Park Associates. However, Simon Sutton, HBO’s president of international and content distribution, claimed that there is a high awareness of HBO in the country.

Sutton also confirmed that HBO was looking at other countries to provide with its service.

“Spain is not the first and Spain is not the last,” he said.

Netflix made its Spanish debut in October and has since announced a global launch, offering its services in over 190 different countries.

The streaming giant is far from HBO’s only concern, however, with at least eight other services active in the country, including telecommunications provider Telefonica SA.