Netflix has been working for months now to bring out a new user-friendly subscription for its Indian market. On Wednesday, Netflix launched the new lower-priced mobile-only subscription plan in India with just Rs. 199 per month. The plan is available only for phone and tablet users, and it streams in SD only.
According to Netflix, Indian users tend to sign up more from their smartphones and tablets when compared to their worldwide market. In this regard, in the Indian context, Netflix’s main competitors are Amazon’s Prime Video and Hotstar. To compete with these two platforms, Netflix has released a more pocket-friendly mobile version of its platform. However, this plan does not support the casting on TV feature.
At the time of its testing, the subscription was priced at Rs. 250. This monthly plan was supposed to join its usual Rs. 499, Rs. 649, and Rs. 799 monthly rate, but Netflix reduced it down to Rs. 199 per month. It should be noted that Hotstar charges Rs. 299 per month while Amazon charges Rs. 129 per month, including its Prime membership.
Our members in India watch more on their mobiles than members anywhere else in the world – and they love to download our shows and films. We believe this new plan will make Netflix even more accessible and better suit for people who like to watch on their smartphones or tablets – both on the go and at home – Ajay Arora, Director, Product Innovation, Netflix
In its quarterly results letter to shareholders, Netflix announced this week’s launch along with the report of its lower-than-expected subscriber additions. The company said in the letter, “We believe this plan, which will launch in Q3, will be an effective way to introduce a larger number of people in India to Netflix and to further expand our business in a market where Pay-TV ARPU is low (below $5). We will continue to learn more after the launch of this plan.”
