Netflix announces ~3,000cr push to create content for Indian audience

NEW DELHI: Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings said on Friday the streaming service will spend about ~3,000 crore in the country over the next year as the company tries to become “more Indian” in its content offering, a remark that comes amid increasing competition in the online entertainment industry with the entry of new players.

Netflix currently has about 160 million subscribers worldwide. Hastings has previously said the Indian market could deliver a bulk of the next 100 million subscribers to the platform.

“We are developing our Hindi and local content here. This year and next year, we will spend about ~3,000 crore developing content. So you will start to see a lot of stuff hit the screen. We have got about 100 employees in Mumbai… We are really trying to invest in becoming more Indian in the content offering,” Hastings said at the 17th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.

“We are just getting started here in India,” he added.

HYDERABAD/NEW DELHI: The police on Friday shot dead four men accused of the gang rape and murder of a 26-year-old woman on the outskirts of Hyderabad duringan early-morning visit to one of the crime scenes, triggering a fierce debate between people and political leaders across the country with one side celebratingthedevelopmentandotherscallingita“horrifying” violation of due process.

AccordingtoCyberabadPolice commissionerVCSajjannar,the fourmensnatchedweaponsfrom the guards and tried to escape, but were gunned down in crossfire.Thesuspectshadbeentaken to the site where the body of the womanwasfoundonNovember 28.

Around 12.30am, a team of 10 police officersfirsttookMohammad Ali, alias Mohammad Arif, JolluShiva,JolluNaveenKumar andChintakuntaChennaKeshavulutothecrimescenenearatoll plaza where they abducted the veterinarianonNovember27and allegedly raped and murdered her,Sajjannarsaidatapressconference in the evening. The team reachedChatanpallivillagenear Shadnagar, where the body was discovered the next day, around 3.30am.

“Wewantedtorecovercertain objectsbelongingtothevictim— her mobile phone, power bank, and watch. The accused tried to mislead the police,” he said.