Good news! Netflix subscription at 199/month launched today
Guwahati: Good news for the web series lovers as Netflix finally launched the cheapest subscription plan in India on Wednesday.
The plan is worth Rs 199 and is valid for a month.
The catch for the low-price is, the Rs 199 per month plan from Netflix is limited to mobile and tablet streaming only. Despite its hopes of reaching 100 million subscribers in India, Netflix remains a relatively niche product in the country. Most estimates put its subscriber base in India somewhere between 1 million and 2 million.
Earlier this year, Netflix started testing a less expensive mobile-only plan in the country. With the release of its second-quarter results, the company confirmed it's making the plan available to everyone in India this quarter. The move could accelerate the momentum the company's created over the last year or so, and it may lead to valuable partnerships that would give a further boost to subscriber growth in the country.
Also, the company's biggest challenge is its pricing. Netflix's monthly price can climb nearly as high as the annual prices for some of its biggest rivals in the country.
Building a fan base
India is a massive long-term opportunity for streaming-video subscriptions. Subscription video on demand revenue is expected to climb from million last year to billion in 2023. That's fueled by the continued expansion of internet access, particularly through mobile phones, in the world's second-most-populous country.
But for Netflix to grab a share of that billion market opportunity, it needs to establish a fan base. It's increased spending on local content faster than in any other market, but that content doesn't do it any good if nobody's watching it and telling their friends about it.
The users will now be able to watch their favourite Netflix shows on either smartphones or tablet if they have subscribed to this new plan from Netflix. The new Rs 199/month mobile-only subscription plan is available starting today in the country.
Here's what you get for Rs 199 per month?
Under this Rs 199 per month plan Netflix allows users to stream only on one screen at a time. This means unlike the expensive Rs 499, Rs 649 and Rs 799 plan this one will not allow more than one user to watch shows or movies on Netflix at a time.
--Similar to the Rs 499 plan the Rs 199 plan only supports SD (standard definition) streaming and not HD. The HDC streaming is available only on expensive plans -- Rs 649 and Rs 799.
--With the Rs 199 plan users will be able to stream content only on smartphones and tablets.
--This means users will not be able to watch their favourite shows and movies on smart TVs or laptops if subscribed to Rs 199/month plan.
When will the Rs 199 per month plan be available for all?
As stated by Netflix officials during the announcement the Rs 199 per month plan or the cheapest Netflix plan will be available starting today, i.e. July 24.
How to subscribe to Netflix's cheapest Rs 199/month plan?
--Download the Netflix app or visit the website www.netflix.com
--Select the mobile plan for INR 199/month
--Add account details and try the first month for free (for new members)
--After the free first month is over you can pay and get the month Rs 199 plan.
What about other Netflix plans in India?
In addition, to the introduction of a new mobile Rs 199 plan, Netflix has also adjusted prices for the three existing plans.
--The Rs 500/month Netflix plan now comes for Rs 499. This is called basic plan.
-- The Rs 650/month Netflix plan now comes for Rs 649. This is called standard plan.
-- The Rs 800/month Netflix plan now comes for Rs 799. This is called premium plan.
What is Netflix aiming for India with this new Rs 199/month plan?
Netflix has been testing the mobile-only plan since March in India. The streaming service was testing the plan for Rs 250/month. Speaking to India Today Tech Nigel Baptiste, Director, Partner Engagement of Netflix says that the testing process of the Rs 250/month plan was extremely well received and that pushed the company to launch the Rs 199 plan in India today. With the Rs 199/month plan Netflix is looking to expand its user base in India by targeting the tier two and tier three segment. Netflix believes that the Rs 199/month plan will help the streaming service reach more and more consumers in the country, in turn, expand Netflix's business in India.
With this low-cost plan, the video streaming service wants to compete with other video streaming services in India like Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, ALT Balaji, Zee5, among others. Will Netflix achieve its goal? Well, that only time will tell.