In an attempt to consolidate its position in India OTT market, US-based streaming giant Netflix has begun testing a low-cost mobile-only subscription plan with select mobile users.
The four weekly plans that Netflix is testing begins with Rs 65, which allows viewing at only one screen. Three other weekly plans priced at Rs 125, Rs 165 and Rs 200.
The basic Rs 125 plan is similar to the mobile-only plan except with one extra offering of letting users watch Netflix on laptop and TV as well. The standard plan priced at Rs 165 offers HD content and support of two screens at a time.
The costliest weekly plan of Rs 200 (Premium) offers Ultra HD content and support for four screens at a time.
Under the aforementioned subscription plans, users will get access to the entire catalog of films and TV shows on Netflix and can cancel anytime.
This is only intended for the mobile plan and only selected mobile device, said a Netflix official to Entrackr. A new user cannot use the account to watch it on Smart TV or other devices.
Existing users also can’t change the plan, added the official.
Netflix first tested the similar plans in Malaysia in last year November. In India, no video streaming platforms are offering weekly plans. All of them offer monthly or annual subscriptions.
Among its rivals, Star-owned Hotstar subscription plans start at Rs 199. Whereas Amazon offers similar services at Rs 129 every month. Other players in the segment such as Zee-owned ZEE5 and ALT Balaji streaming services also have cheaper plans starting at around Rs 100.
Besides mobile only low-cost weekly subscriptions, Netflix runs three regular plans in India.
First is the basic plan for which the user needs to pay Rs 500 every month. Second, a standard plan which costs Rs 650/per month, and lastly there’s a Premium plan for which the user will need to pay Rs 800/month.
Last year, Netflix chief product officer Greg Peters had said that India is an important market for them and they will keep experimenting with other pricing models. He believes that India in the coming year will contribute majorly in its International subscriber base.
The company aims to add around 100 million subscribers from India alone. With the lower-priced mobile-only subscription trail plan, Netflix aims to reach out to new users in the country.
