Netflix Tries Out Mobile-Only Subscription Plan in India
Streaming giant Netflix is testing a mobile-only subscription in India that costs half of its basic plan. Netflix India’s monthly plans begin at INR500 ($7.27), and the mobile-only plan is being trialed at INR250 ($3.63) per month.
“We are always looking for ways to make Netflix more enjoyable and accessible,” a Netflix spokesperson told Variety. “We will be testing different options in select countries, where members can, for example, watch Netflix on their mobile device for a lower price and subscribe in shorter increments of time.”
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The spokesperson emphasized that the experimental nature of Netflix’s new Indian pricing tier. “Not everyone will see these options, and we may never roll out these specific plans beyond the tests,” the spokesperson said.
Thanks to cheap data plans, Indians increasingly consume streaming content on their mobile devices.
Netflix launched a similar half-price mobile plan in Malaysia last November, and said at the time that it would also try out the idea in a few other territories that it declined to identify.
Meanwhile, Disney’s (formerly Fox’s) Hotstar, the market leader in the Indian OTT space, announced a new subscription tier, effective Friday. Priced at INR365 ($5.30) annually, the new Hotstar VIP subscription provides access to originals, labeled Hotstar Specials; the Indian Premier League cricket tournament; the cricket World Cup; English Premier League soccer matches; and serials before they are aired on Disney’s Star television network.
The first Hotstar Special, “Roar of the Lion,” featuring cricket superstar Mahendra Singh Dhoni, bowed on Tuesday. Indian remakes of “The Office,” “Criminal Justice” and “Hostages” will stream soon.
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