Netflix has no free plans now; You have to pay for trials too
It is very interesting to note that users have to shell out Rs. 5/- for the first month of their subscription, while this sounds cool, the fact is the OTT services provider had offered the first month free to get users on board.
Netflix subscription plans are by far the costliest content streaming services in the country, while Netflix might believe with the new entry plan, they will be able to rope in more subscribers, will they succeed is a big question?
According to a Netflix spokesperson; “This is a new marketing promotion designed to help more people discover Netflix. Depending on its success, we may roll it out more widely.” Will it please the users, it is a big question mark?
The India plan, which became available in July, is the fourth option from Netflix in India. Netflix is still expensive compared to Disney’s Indian OTT service Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video. Both services are offered at an annual rate of around Rs. 1,000 per year. Last year, Netflix announced a Rs 199 subscription plan for mobiles. Other monthly Netflix subscription plans include a Rs 499 basic plan (One Screen, SD resolution only), a Rs 649 standard plan (Two Screens, HD or SD), and a Rs 799 premium plan (Four Screens, 4K UHD, HD or SD).
Netflix is projecting to close the year with 2 million direct paying subscribers in India.
For Netflix and many OTT players India is a big consumption story, as they fight the likes of Prime Videos, ZEE5, Hotstar, and other niche players in the market. The CEO of Netflix Reed Hastings had earlier announced a massive a Rs 3,000 crore investment plan for content in the country.
As the OTT services are becoming niche, with some of the players like Aha launching dedicated south Indian content services, only time will tell where the consumers are heading.