Back in 2016, Netflix forayed into the Indian market, and since then, has witnessed stiff competition. With a plethora of options available at much cheaper rates, the streaming giant has struggled to find its place. Since then, Netflix has introduced numerous plans in the country in order to increase its subscriber base. In fact, the company even launched a mobile-only plan for the first time for the Indian consumer.
In a bid to gain more consumer base and entice more people, Netflix is now planning to introduce a “Weekend Binge” promotional event. As a part of this event, Netflix will go free to all for 48 hours. This means that non-subscribers will be able to enjoy the entire catalog of movies and TV shows for free.
Netflix is introducing StreamFest in India, free access for 48 hours
This report comes after the folks over at Protocol managed to find the references to a 48-hour “StreamFest” event. Furthermore, XDA’s Mishaal Rahman also found the same in the latest version of the Netflix Android app. According to the report, the event should commence on December 4. It is worth noting that there is no official confirmation for the exact timeline for the event.
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Netflix chief operating officer and chief product officer Greg Peters has recently confirmed the move during the Q3 earnings call. According to him, the free weekend program will expose the company’s service and catalog to more people across the country. Furthermore, Netflix is hoping to get a bunch of new folks to sign up for its service. While the new 48 hours free weekend promotion is only for India, more countries will soon join the suit. Basically, India is more of a first test platform for the free streaming offer.
As mentioned earlier, this is not the first time the company is introducing something new to its service for the Indian market. Netflix recently partnered with Reliance Jio to offer its service with Jio Fiber broadband and Jio mobile data plans. The company is also planning to add more payment options to make the subscription process easier for newcomers.
To recall, Disney+ Hotstar leads the Indian market with over 400mn monthly active users with 8mn paid subscribers. Amazon Prime Video takes the second position while SonyLiv remains at the third. Netflix, on the other hand, currently holds the fourth position.
