Now, Netflix is testing Rs. 250 mobile-only plan in India
In a major move to expand its user base, popular streaming platform Netflix has started testing a low-cost subscription plan in the Indian market. The plan costs Rs. 250 per month and is available to select few users in the country, in addition to the regular plans ranging between Rs. 500 and Rs. 800. Here's all about the plan and its availability.
What Netflix offers in this plan
Under the experimental plan, Netflix is offering select users access to standard definition (SD) content on a single screen at a time, Economic Times reported citing multiple sources. The current entry-level plan of Rs. 500 also offers SD content for one screen, but this particular subscription will be a mobile-only deal, meaning users would only be able to access Netflix on mobiles or tablets.
Notably, Netflix has also confirmed the trial plan
"We will be testing different options in select countries where members can watch Netflix on their mobile device for a lower price and subscribe in shorter increments of time," a Netflix spokesperson told ET. However, they emphasized that "not everyone will see these options and we may never roll out these specific plans beyond the tests".
Goal to expand user base in India
The move by Netflix comes as part of its efforts to boost its user base in India, the world's second most populous country. Over the last few years, India's smartphone market has grown exponentially and Netflix would surely want to cash in on it. The affordable pricing strategy was first announced in October and trailed a month later in Malaysia.
'Long runway ahead of us'
"We'll experiment with other pricing models and see how that does in terms of being able to accelerate our growth," Netflix CPO Greg Peters had said. "But even on the existing model, we feel like we have a long runway ahead of us in India."
Other players in the category, however, still offer cheaper plans
Even if Netflix manages to bring this plan to life and cut its entry-level offering by half, it would still remain costlier than other players in the game. For some perspective, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix's prime competitor, comes at Rs. 129/month, while Hotstar comes at Rs. 199/month. Meanwhile, ZEE5 is available at Rs. 99/month while 3-month ALTBalaji subscription can be availed at Rs. 100.
