Netflix launches ultra-low-cost promotion in India

Netflix Indian original, Sacred Games

Netflix has launched an ultra-cheap one month trial for new customers in India. 

As part of a promotional offer, select new customers will be able to use the streamer for INR5 (€0.06) for their first month.

Following this trial, the users will then be able to select from the INR199 (€2.55) mobile plan, the INR499 (€6.40) single screen plan, the INR649 (€8.32) double screen standard plan and the INR799 (€10.25) four screen premium plan.

A spokesperson for Netflix confirmed the offer, saying: “This is a new marketing promotion designed to help more people discover Netflix. Depending on its success, we may roll it out more widely.”

The company had previously offered one month for free to users in the country, but that offer was phased out by December 2019.

Even at its cheapest point, Netflix is on the pricier side of streamers in India. Market leader Hotstar (owned by Disney) offers its two packages VIP – which includes live sports along with Indian TV shows and movies – for INR365 (€4.63) per year; and premium – including everything offered by VIP along with American shows and Hollywood blockbusters without ads – for INR299 (€3.79) per month or INR999 (€12.67) per year.

By comparison to Hotstar’s 300 million monthly users, Netflix and Amazon both have less than 30 million Indian users.

This Netflix announcement also comes shortly before Disney rolls out Disney+ through Hotstar in India on March 29.

During its Q1 earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that the two tiers would be rebranded to reflect the inclusion of Disney+. He said: “One will be more premium in nature that will include the entire library, so with the original programming and the other one will be more basic that will have the library and not the original programming.”