Netflix to be more accessible to Indians
Online video streaming service Netflix on Monday announced three separate strategic partnerships with Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone India and direct-to-home (DTH) television operator Videocon d2h.
The announcement was made in New Delhi by Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings, who is visiting India for the first time. The new partnerships are meant to expand distribution and make access to Netflix easier for Indians via integration through set-top boxes and prepaid mobile schemes.
“We want it to just be easy to get to Netflix whether it’s on your TV or your mobile phone or laptop. It should really be like Netflix is available anywhere where there is Internet,” said Hastings.
Hastings told reporters that Netflix would do more partnerships with both mobile and set top boxes to make it easier, particularly on the billing side. “As you know, online payments is something which is very rapidly emerging. There are a lot of new alternatives coming, so we are participating in all of that.”
Hastings will also travel to Mumbai during his seven-day visit to meet content creators and partners.
Hastings said after 14 months of its launch in India, it has witnessed a growth in subscribers, but did not share details. “This is one of the top 3 markets for Netflix in terms of mobile usage. In terms of investments, we are investing heavily into content.”
Both Amazon Prime Video which launched in India in December and Netflix are engaged in a turf war over local content. Netflix’s first original series in the country is based on novelist Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games.