Netflix was launched in India in 2016 and had ever since becoming an integral part of the society, India has a vast population, and nearly every household has Netflix which make Netflix a major success in India, Netflix recently hiked up their prices and this the biggest hike in the history of Netflix, the single user portal was hiked from $7.99 to $8.99, the two-screen user was hiked from $10.99 to $12.99 and the HD 4 screen user saw a hike from $13.99 to $15.99 we saw almost an 18% hike in the prices all over the world. Many users were definitely sad about the price hike and thought about closing their accounts as the last hike took place just two years ago. However, Netflix is unable to boost their new subscribers in most areas of the US as most of the households do use Netflix and there is a lesser possibility of a strike in new subscribers so to tackle this situation they are looking forward to newer market and one such eye-catching market in their radar in India, with the huge population and a linguistic nation India is a very lucrative option for Netflix to expand their business.
Netflix announced on great news on Tuesday that they are coming up with a monthly plan at as cheap as less than $3 for their audience but attached to this is a sad news that it will only be available to the Indian audience, yes you heard us right the new plan in India has been launched from today at Rs 199 per month, this is a very interesting and lucrative tactic that Netflix has opted to get more and more new subscribers and users, however, this is a mobile-only plan which means you cannot use it on your desktop.
Users can stream any and every available content on Netflix via this plan but only drawback is that it can be used only on smartphones or tablets, a very smart move indeed by the Netflix India is one of the biggest smartphone user industries and many people do not have traditional laptops or computers but instead find it convenient to use their phones as and when needed, the traditional users might also shift to this plan as it is way cheaper than the original Netflix price which has been hiked and this will be a good price point at which everyone can enjoy the comfort of streaming content.
Netflix’s director of product innovation Ajay Arora said in a statement “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,” he also added “Netflix’s director of product innovation Ajay Arora said in a statement. “We believe this new plan will make Netflix even more accessible and better suit people who like to watch on their smartphones and tablets, both on the go and at home.”
This strategy might help Netflix to gain popularity and user base in India, but it will surely have a huge effect on domestic platforms like Hotstar and Voot. Nevertheless, the streaming giant has taken a big step forward to increase its user base in a territory like India, which is still evolving itself.