Netflix, the video streaming platform, has managed to garner more than 130 million subscribers globally already. Stating the roadmap of the company, Netflix CEO now says that he believe India can deliver the next 100 million subscribers to the company. It has been a long time rumour that Netflix is testing to introduce cheaper plans to select markets, including India. But, the company CEO chief executive officer, Reed Hastings has now denied all the media reports and said that the Netflix plans for India are only "modestly lower than what the company charges in the United States" and even though the plan prices are higher than the domestic streaming services, Netflix will strive in the competition.
The chief product officer of Netflix, Greg Peters at Netflix's October earnings announcement had said, "We'll experiment with other pricing models, not only for India but around the world that will allow us to broaden access by providing a pricing tier that sits below our current lowest tier." Soon after this comment was made, people believed India could get some low-cost Netflix plans soon. But Hastings has now denied the reports and said that they are not working on low-cost Netflix plans for India.
Netflix Could Be Testing Low-Cost Plans for Asia
Even though Hastings said Netflix isn’t testing low-cost plans for India, in addition, he also informed that the company would test a lower-priced version of its film and television streaming service in some markets in order to boost sales. Although the company hasn’t committed to lowering prices anywhere, it does mention that it wants to experiment the pricing models. Hastings, however, didn’t say when or where the plans testing would be conducted.
Netflix vs Other Video Streaming Services
A low price plan would raise the customer base for Netflix. Local industry players like Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, and others, believe that the Netflix plans for the Indian market are pretty high compared to their plans. The domestic competitors, however, believe that if Netflix continues with their existing plans, it could make it difficult for the streaming service platform to survive in the competition.
Hastings, however, believes that Netflix can thrive amid cheaper options and says, "Now it is true that Youtube is free, and Amazon is basically free, and cable is extremely inexpensive because it's ad-supported. To some degree that creates a consumer expectation," he said. He further adds, the cost of Netflix in India is “like going to the movie theatre 2-3 tickets a month, but you get to watch a lot more."
Looking for Growth in Per-Capita Income
Netflix is now looking to grow its per-capita income in countries where it’s significantly lower. The plan prices of Netflix vary from regions to region and the cheapest one is in the U.S, which is worth $7.99. Several video streaming services in Asia, including Viu, offer free service as well as paid service which is priced between $2 and $5 a month, making it significantly lower than Netflix. “Leaving prices where they are, we are a very premium service,” said Todd Yellin, vice president of the product of Netflix.
In India, Netflix has three plans. The basic plan, which costs Rs 500 per month, second is the Standard plan which is priced at Rs 650 per month, and third is a Premium plan which costs Rs 800 every month.
