Netflix has been riding on a high wave of success since its inception in the USA. But it is yet to get the expected result in India. The platform has been constantly struggling to increase its share in the video-streaming market of India but has been bogged down by high pricing.
With Amazon Prime Video and other local OTT players such as ZEE5, ALTBalaji, Hotstar, and Voot enjoying a major share in the market, Netflix really had to do something to make a place for itself in the video-streaming market.
Netflix Testing Low-Cost Monthy Subscription For Indian Users
Last year in October, Greg Peters, the chief product officer of Netflix stated that the American media-services provider is planning to experiment with its pricing model to improve its user base in India. The plan included introducing a lower cost monthly subscription plan.
The latest report indicates that Netflix indeed is testing an affordable subscription plan for mobile users in the country. The monthly plan is expected to start at Rs. 250. Cutting down its cost is one way of Netflix for wooing more users.
It can also be the aftereffect of the latest announcement by Netflix’s close competitor Hotstar. The Star Plus affiliated Hotstar recently announced a new subscription plan starting at Rs. 365 just a couple of weeks ahead of the start of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019.
The subscribers of Hotstar having the All Annual Sports plan will now be upgraded to this latest Hotstar VIP plan without having to pay any extra amount.
Netflix’s Latest Mobile-Only Plan Allows Access To SD Video Content
The latest mobile-only plan from Netflix will be available at almost half the price of the subscription that it is currently offering the Indian users. The current subscription plans from Netflix range between Rs. 500 and Rs.800.
Through this particular Netflix low-cost subscription mobile-only plan, the American media services platform will allow the users access to SD video content on tablet or mobile at one given time. However, this subscription will be separate from its current subscription plans that are being used by around 5 million Indian subscribers.
In its statement, the company said, “We are always looking for ways to make Netflix more enjoyable and accessible. We will be testing different options in select countries where members can, for example, watch Netflix on their mobile device for a lower price and subscribe in shorter increments of time.”
Netflix’s Low-Cost Subscription Restricted To Select Mobile Users
During the testing phase, the Netflix low-cost subscription plan will be made available only to selected mobile users. Depending upon the market response, Netflix is expected to take the call whether to roll it out in the larger market.
India is the fastest mobile app growing markets in the world and is ahead of China in terms of absolute downloading. The State of Mobile 2019 report by App Annie says that an average Indian user uses around 35 apps every month and spends most of his time in video-streaming.
Incidentally, Netflix is the most downloaded paid app in India. But it is going to be quite a tough time for Netflix to boost its user-base as even Rs. 250 is more in the video streaming market.
Its competitors like ZEE5 (Rs.99/month), Hotstar (Rs.199/month), ALT Balaji (Rs.100/month) and Amazon Prime Video (Rs. 129/month) are offering the three-month subscription at a much lesser price.
