Our country’s consumption of on-demand content, especially movies and television series, is booming. Despite being the great dominator worldwide, Netflix does not have the same luck in Spain. The old Yomvi, now in the hands of Movistar Plus, enjoys privileges that allow it to lead the market. However, everything is to taste, so we will try to delve into the main pros and cons that both Netflix Spain and Movistar Plus Yomvi present.
MOVISTAR PLUS TAKES ADVANTAGE OF NETFLIX PRODUCTION
If we reduce the catalog to the series, Netflix Spain has a lot of work ahead of it. Perhaps giving up certain privileges to the competition was not the best of ideas. When talking about privileges, we refer to the exploitation rights of some of its flagship products. This is in House of Cards, or Orange Is The New Black.
Netflix has opted from the beginning for its content. Perhaps they did not plan to launch their platform in other countries, so they sold parts of the product. The reasons will never be known, but the sale of the rights to House of Cards and Orange is the new black to Movistar has been a considerable drag on establishing the American giant in our country.
HBO SCENE ENTRANCE
Not everything was going to be a joy for Movistar. The appearance of another giant like HBO, which has also been associated with Vodafone, has affected the catalog of series offered by Telefónica. They lose classics like The Wire or The Sopranos, among the most demanded content. At least Movistar has maintained the rights to Game of Thrones, although they will be shared with HBO.
However, to offset the loss of HBO, Telefónica has recently signed an agreement with Showtime, another of the large American production companies, to exclusively exploit its main content. This means that Ray Donovan, Homeland, Billions, or Twins Peaks will premiere their new installments on Movistar, featuring past successful series like Dexter or Californication. Finally, Telefónica they have taken a step forward in producing its content, a booming sector that seems essential to compete with the American giants.
Netflix  Spain has assured that it will multiply its content and include a series of production closely directed at our country. Meanwhile, it already has prestigious titles such as Stranger Things, Daredevil, Narcos, Black Mirror, Marco Polo, Grace and Franky, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Sense8. House of Cards and OITNB are also available, but the rights to its exclusive premiere remain in the hands of Movistar. House of Cards returns in May:
MOVIE CATALOG
This chapter finds a factor that marks a clear line between both distributors. We are talking about recent movie rental releases. Netflix bets on the same content for all its clients. That is that nobody pays anything extra for any service. Due to this issue, if you are looking for access to current movie releases, Netflix is ​​not the place since they take about two years to be available.
On the other hand, in Movistar Plus, there is the option of renting, for a modest amount, the latest releases on the big screen a few weeks after opening in movie theaters. To deal with this, Netflix has content or exclusive rights to various movies. Some upcoming releases will be War Machine, with Brad Pitt (May 2017) or Bright, starring Will Smith (December 2017).
ARE THEY EXPENSIVE SERVICES?
The on-demand content market has established itself as a useful and quality service. We live in a time of the explosion of technology, which forces companies to set competitive prices if they want to gain a foothold in the market. Although, it is fair to assess all the nuances before deciding on the price. Netflix is ​​a streaming content viewing service to use. You contract it, you pay a monthly fee, and you can see it on any device connected to the Internet.
However, Movistar Plus requires contracting a television, telephone, and Internet package. It is true that before the merger between Canal Plus and Telefónica took place when it was known as Digital Plus, Yomvi could be hired without having to become a customer of anything else. In other words, you paid monthly for having a username and password and being able to enjoy the online service. But after the purchase of the Plus by the telephone company, it was over.
Netflix has three price possibilities, 7.99/9.99/11.99, depending on the normal/HD/4K quality of service, but in all three packages, the content of the catalog is the same. Therefore, for about 8 euros per month, we can access all the content of Netflix. A competitive price.
Instead, Movistar Plus forces us to be involved in Internet, mobile, and television packages. These packs do not usually drop below 60 euros per month. Of course, if we are already customers, we can add series for 5 euros per month and movies for 10 euros per month.
STREAMING QUALITY
It is a time of change for image quality. These concepts sound familiar to you: high definition, ultra high definition, 4K… surely. In this sense, Movistar Plus and Netflix are no strangers to this need for quality. Netflix offers the same content in its three offers, changing the quality of streaming and the number of devices. It reaches Ultra HD quality and is very close to 4K.
Movistar Plus, for its part, offers its contents in Full HD but promises that during 2017 it will reach 4K. In any case, when talking about quality, you must keep something very much in mind. It is always linked to the device from which we use the service. You need at least one Smart TV to achieve optimal quality. In other words, no matter how much 4K they offer us, if our television is incompatible, we will never be able to enjoy it.
OFFLINE SERVICE AND MULTIPLE DEVICES
The ability to enjoy content without an Internet connection was a feature that was unknown until recently. Both Netflix and Movistar Plus have recently added it to their offer, although with small nuances.
On the one hand, there is Netflix, which has just incorporated it into its services, but only for premium users. On the other hand, Movistar makes no distinction between its clients but makes a clear selection of its content. What kind of sieve? Well, one of the good ones, for example, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, or Dexter, do not fall within those enabled to view offline.
Regardless of the content or the type of client, both services work very well. You can download, as long as you have Internet access, many series, movies, or documentaries. And you can see them, for example, on a train or a plane.
On the other hand, another recurring theme is the number of devices that can be used simultaneously. At this point, Netflix is ​​much more flexible and consistent. The one who pays more has more advantages. A premium user will have access to the service on four devices simultaneously. It allows you to share the service (and expenses) among friends or family. On the other hand, Movistar does not allow the simultaneous use of the service on other devices.
I am a writer with eight years of experience writing in business and technology. I always carry a passion for learning and discovering new knowledge.