Netflix wants to go global, but the globe may not want it. The streaming service is now being blocked in Indonesia, which represents a major chunk of Netflix’s potential global market. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world behind China, India, and the United States.
The block was initiated by Telkom, Indonesia’s state-run telecommunications provider, according to early reports in the Wall Street Journal. Telkom reportedly objected to some of the content available on Netflix (such as adult and violent content) and said that Netflix didn’t have a permit to operate as a content provider in the country. “As it goes into Asia, Netflix is going to have to think not just about creative content for Asian countries but also restricting content that needs to be censored,” says Paul Verna, a senior analyst at eMarketer. “In China, Indonesia, and the Middle East there are going to be all sorts of issues.” Netflix had recently announced a major global roll-out of its services, which became available in 130 new countries on January 6.
The Indonesian government will decide next month whether or not to block Netflix going forward, according to the Journal. At press time Netflix had yet to respond to requests for comment. Getting blocked in Indonesia points toward the many challenges–both cultural and bureaucratic–that Netflix faces going forward. “This big international expansion that’s powering most of Netflix’s growth right now is not going to come easily,” Verna says. “It’s not just pushing a button.”
