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Tag: Netflix India

  • Netflix plans to give free access for a weekend in India

    Netflix plans to give free access for a weekend in India

    KOLKATA: Netflix has been constantly innovating its marketing and promotion strategy in India to get more users to sign up. Now, it plans to give free access to the Indian audience for a weekend.

    “We think that giving everyone in a country to access Netflix for free for a weekend could be a great idea to expose a bunch of new people to the amazing stories we have and hopefully get a bunch of them to sign up. We will try that in India and we will see how that goes,” Netflix COO and chief products officer Greg Peters said in an earnings call after q3 results.

    Read more news on Netflix

    It is not easy to make a strong subscription base in India for Netflix. The competition is here not only with two-three services like Amazon Prime Video, Disney+Hotstar but with a number of homegrown services like SonyLIV, ZEE5, MX Player. Most of them offer their premium content at a much lower rate compared to Netflix. The service also started a mobile-only plan at Rs 199 last year to beat the odds which worked well for it.

    “We're constantly assessing and testing and trying to understand what's working, what's working best, how do we improve. And we do that with our marketing and promotion tactics as well. One of the most effective ways to introduce Netflix to people in different countries around the world, and based on that testing and that actual performance, we've shifted those tactics, as you note, in many, many countries, including the United States. But we also seek to innovate and come up with what are new ways that we can use to introduce Netflix to new members,” Peters also added.

    In a letter to shareholders, the service also acknowledged that it has much work to do in India to replicate the success in other APAC countries Japan and South Korea. Considerably, APAC has contributed mostly to the q3 growth of Netflix.

  • Netflix Q3 result: Continues to grow strong in APAC, much work to do in India

    Netflix Q3 result: Continues to grow strong in APAC, much work to do in India

    KOLKATA: Netflix fell short of global subscriber additions in Q3, albeit a slower growth was forecasted by the streaming giant. The company has added 2.2 million net subscribers in the quarter, even lower than its prediction of 2.5 million.

    In the first two quarters of 2020, Netflix added 15.8 million net in Q1, 10.1 million net subscribers in Q2. However, the streaming service already warned at the end of Q2 that there would be a decline in subscriber addition due to “pull forward” in the first half.

    “As we expected, growth has slowed with 2.2m paid net adds in Q3 vs. 6.8m in Q3 19. We think this is primarily due to our record first-half results and the pull-forward effect we described in our April and July letters. In the first nine months of 2020, we added 28.1m paid memberships, which exceeds the 27.8m that we added for all of 2019. In these challenging times, we’re dedicated to serving our members,” it stated in a letter to shareholders.

    Netflix posted revenue of $6.44 billion and earnings of $1.74 per share in the quarter while Wall Street analysts on average expected third-quarter sales of $6.38 billion and EPS of $2.13. For q4, it forecasts 6.0 million paid net adds which is much lower compared to 8.8 million in the corresponding quarter last year. If it achieves the forecast, it will create a record 34 million paid net adds for 2020, well above the prior annual high of 28.6m in 2018.

    “As the world hopefully recovers in 2021, we would expect that our growth will revert back to levels similar to pre-Covid. In turn, we expect paid net adds are likely to be down year over year in the first half of 2021 as compared to the big spike in paid net adds we experienced in the first half of 2020. We continue to view quarter-to-quarter fluctuations in paid net adds as not that meaningful in the context of the long-run adoption of internet entertainment, which we believe is still early and should provide us with many years of strong future growth as we continue to improve our service,” Netflix said.

    However, despite the pandemic effect on shooting, Netflix continues to expect the number of originals launched on the service to be up year over year in each quarter of 2021. It will continue to invest heavily in local language content.

    APAC, the largest contributor to q3 growth:

    While the quarter has seen a very tepid growth globally, the APAC story is somewhat different. This region was the largest contributor to paid membership growth this quarter with 46 per cent of overall subscriber addition. The revenue also rose 66 per cent year over year.

    “We’re pleased with the progress we’re making in this region and, in particular, that we’ve achieved double-digit penetration of broadband homes in both south Korea and Japan. While this is encouraging, we still have much work to do and we're working hard to replicate this success in India and other countries,” Netflix stated.

    Netflix is working with local partners like Reliance Jio in India, wherein it launched a bundle with the latter’s mobile and fibre broadband plans in Q3. As part of this broad partnership, it will integrate Netflix with two of Jio’s set top boxes. Netflix also mentioned that it partnered with financial institutions in India to make payment processing easier and more seamless, which it expects will have retention benefits. “All of these initiatives are important and work in concert with our big investment in local originals to improve the Netflix experience for our members,” it added.

  • OTT platforms gear up to resume production

    OTT platforms gear up to resume production

    KOLKATA: The Covid2019 crisis struck India in March and the entertainment industry came to a standstill. While TV production resumed in July, shooting for film and original content remained on pause for a lot longer. The industry, which lost six months of valuable production time, is slowly limping back to sets and studios.

    More people may have switched to over-the-top (OTT) platforms during the pandemic, but on the flip side, it has inflated the audience’s appetite for content. These streaming services have maintained a steady click of new releases so far but the constrain of shooting large scale projects is a major concern.

    Experts predicted that the pandemic would affect the pipeline of long-format premium originals till the first half of FY22. Although most major players have resumed filming, no one is certain how soon full-fledged production will be back on track.

    Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos said during the recent ET Global Business Summit Unwired 3.0 that getting back to production safely tops the organisation’s list of priorities. This, however, has been particularly challenging in India, he said.

    Read more news on OTT

    Not surprising, considering the country is leading the highest number of daily positive cases; this problem is further compounded by the strict rules and guidelines imposed by the Maharashtra government on film production. But Netflix fans, fear not; more than ten Netflix India productions are scheduled to start in November.

    Desi OTTs 

    The homegrown players are also stepping up their efforts to keep the content flow alive. MX Player already has one show on the floor and will be pushing a few more projects into production by end of October, chief content officer Gautam Talwar said.

    “Given the pandemic, audiences are spending more time online and OTT platforms including ours have seen a sharp increase in engagement, emerging as the preferred choice for content consumption. To cater to this rising demand, we’ve launched over 27 shows from March until now. We still have a couple of shows in the pipeline that we have shot which are currently in post-production; you should see those releasing over the next quarter,” Talwar added.

    ALTBalaji has also resumed filming some of its shows with minimum staff and in restricted places with appropriate permissions. ALTBalaji CEO and Balaji Telefilms group COO Nachiket Pantvaidya assured that they are diligently following all the requisite standard operating procedures.

    “We recently launched ten episodes of Bebaakee on ALTBalaji. Shooting is ongoing for the show and we will release more episodes soon. October onwards, audience will see a host of shows, including Mumbhai, Bicchoo Ka Khel, Dark 7 White, LSD, Who’s Your Daddy Season 2, Kahin to Milega to name a few,” Pantvaidya stated.

    Amid regional players, Bengali OTT Hoichoi started production back in August since West Bengal initiated Unlock prior to most other states. Hoichoi co-founder Vishnu Mohta revealed that the platform has already completed shooting for seven projects. Two of the post-pandemic shows are already streaming on Hoichoi while others will be gradually made available to users.

    Despite production challenges, hope remains

    Even as India’s Covid2019 tally is flirting with the 70 lakh-mark, stakeholders in every segment of the industry remain hopeful while adjusting to the new normal. Hoichoi’s Mohta said they are trying to restrict the shoots as much as possible to indoor locations, and make sure to sanitize the entire set very carefully before starting work. Despite all the constraints, things are looking up; it has become easier to get schedules and dates of famous actors and directors, he divulged.

    ALTBalaji’s Pantvaidya admitted that since production has to abide by a number of precautionary measures, the work is going slower than before. Nevertheless, with shooting gradually resuming, he is optimistic that viewers will have a handful of shows to look forward to in the coming months. 

    A leading producer who wished to remain unnamed commented that safety measures and longer timelines are stretching already-limited production budgets.

    Pantvaidya expressed the view that shooting at a full-fledged scale is still going to take some time due to the current situation. He said that the platform’s focus is making sure everything works out smoothly, with the safety of cast and crew being top priority. 

    “We’ve all started by putting our best foot forward – keeping in mind precautionary measures and complying with social distancing norms etc. To my mind, full-fledged production as of right now looks like it will only start by January 2021, when multiple shows can be put on the floor, hopefully without too much worry,” MX Player’s Talwar said.

  • Netflix releases Bad Boy Billionaires, albeit an episode short

    Netflix releases Bad Boy Billionaires, albeit an episode short

    KOLKATA: After months of legal tussles, Netflix has finally released its controversial docu-series Bad Boy Billionaires: India, although with only three episodes. 

    The Netflix original that dives deep into the stories of India’s most infamous billionaires – liquor mogul Vijay Mallya, fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, Sahara group chief Subrata Roy, and Satyam Computer Services founder B Ramalinga Raju – got embroiled in litigation due to its provocative content.

    “This investigative docu-series explores the greed, fraud, and corruption that built up — and ultimately brought down — India’s most infamous tycoons,” Netflix said in the show's synopsis.

    Read more news on Netflix

    The series was originally scheduled to release last month but was delayed following an order from a district court in Bihar, where the Sahara group argued that the show would damage Roy's reputation. According to reports, the injunction was lifted last Saturday.

    Currently, episodes based on Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Subrata Roy are streaming. The digital platform, however, held back the episode on B Ramalinga Raju and his Rs 71.36 billion embezzlement scam. Raju and Gitanjali Group owner Mehul Choksi, whose name appears in the series, had also approached courts seeking a stay on the docu-series, claiming that it would affect their trials.

    Given the fact that Raju’s case is presently pending in Hyderabad court, it can be said that Netflix wisely chose not to release the episode on him till it gets the legal clean chit.

  • How Netflix is scripting India story?

    How Netflix is scripting India story?

    KOLKATA: This is an age of binge-watchers and Netflix is yet the undisputed king of the new era. Taking off with House of Cards to luring the audience to their screens with La Casa De Papel (Money Heist), the streaming giant has re-written the script of media and entertainment industry across the world. Once a US unicorn, it is now changing the reality of the industry across the world now. India indeed remains at the heart of its international expansion.

    As Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos says, “It's hard to say, how it (Indian market) could be more important. We have said from the beginning that India is a critical market in the world for us.” In a candid conversation with Film Companion editor Anupama Chopra at ET Global Business Summit Unwired 3.0, Sarandos shares insights on how Indian content is travelling outside the world, Indians are adopting global content and how the streaming giant itself is building up its understanding of the market gradually.

    Sarandos highlights that the Indian market is important not only for Netflix but for the global M&E industry. While it has been always adored for great storytelling and great cinema, the appetite for great TV content is also increasing. He says that they are very heavily invested in bringing out original stories from India. “But more importantly, we are not just growing it for India. We will grow these stories to be for the global platform so that people around the world are enjoying these stories,” he adds.

    Read more news on Netflix

    According to him, the Indian stories are travelling everywhere. Netflix’s first marquee content in India, Sacred Games played in every major market throughout Europe and Latin America. Mighty Little Bheem is now the most-watched non-English animated series in the US. On the other side, the reciprocal is true too as Indian subscribers are watching content from Spain, Korea, Japan at large scale. While the Indian stories are travelling globally, Sarandos mentions that the platform is mindful of local sensitivities.

    “It’s a very dynamic place. One of the things that I miss most since these travel restrictions of Covid2019 have been implemented is my opportunities to come to India. It's one of the most fascinating fast-moving dynamic places in the world. The energy on the ground is just you can feel it in your bones when you walk down the street,” Sarandos expresses his love for the market.

    The man who decides what the world will watch is fascinated with the consumption pattern of the Indian audiences. He is surprised by the way the Indian audience has embraced Roma and the overall diversity, breadth of programming. In the last year, more than 80 per cent of Indian subscribers have seen a film every week on Netflix.

    However, the streaming giant’s original movie slate in India is not qualitatively consistent compared to the global market. Sarandos thinks the inconsistency is due to the trial and error method as it has not been very long since when the platform has started building its Indian content library. He reassures that there will be constant improvement. “We're becoming much more ingrained in the creative culture of India,” he states.

    Streaming has been one of the very few businesses across the world which has not been crushed by Covid2019. More and more people have resorted to good stories. While the streaming services have been able to entertain the audience with fresh stories yet, the long pause in the shooting has been one of the main concerns of those platforms. Netflix is not an exception.

    Sarandos acknowledges that getting back to production safely tops the priority list to resist any interruption in the story. While it has been particularly challenging in India, it is also seeing very encouraging signs with more than 10 originals scheduled to be back for production in November. 

  • Netflix celebrates storytelling with its new campaign

    Netflix celebrates storytelling with its new campaign

    KOLKATA: The streaming giant Netflix has launched a new global campaign One Story Away. that focuses on the power of stories. The campaign running in 27 markets, which includes the Indian market also. The campaign is titled as Just a Story Away in the Indian market.

    Netflix in a statement, which appears to be the message of the campaign, says, “People have very different tastes and moods. But no matter who you are or where you are,  we’re all only just a story away from seeing, feeling and connecting more,”  

    While it is running across TV, radio, print, digital and out-of-home in some markets, the media mix is different in India. However, the Indian version of the campaign is running on digital platforms. 

    “Marketing, in general, would be about flat this year, which is still about $2 billion of spend, which is a tremendous amount of spend across our marketing channels. But it does look like it will be lower because of some of those things we're seeing in this kind of new world in terms of more virtual junkets and PR and actually not doing as much awards, marketing and those sorts of things. Now some of that is temporary in nature. Some of that is permanent learnings as to how we can be more effective going forward,” Netflix CFO Spencer Adam Neumann said in an earnings call earlier. 

    The Crown reminded us that all families are the same. Guilty told us about the good that can happen when you stop caring about what the world thinks of you and instead focus on what you believe in. 

    Sacred Games was a window into a world we knew so little of, and brought us closer to understanding some people’s need for power. We wanted to be a little bit more like Chris Hemsworth in Extraction and that probably motivated some of us to workout. The list is endless.

    This is the premise behind the new campaign.

    The streaming giant has been strategically spending its marketing dollars in India. They have always spent heavily to promote big launches such as Sacred Games, Ghoul, Selection Day and its subscription plans, especially the mobile only plan priced at Rs 199. The brand has extensively use outdoor media such as metro trains, hoardings and others to create a high recall for its lineup.

  • Brands go creative for 2020 mood calendar meme trend

    Brands go creative for 2020 mood calendar meme trend

    NEW DELHI: If people could borrow something from Harry Potter this year, it would probably be the time turner. Who wouldn’t want to go back and undo the year 2020 or stop COVID2019 from crippling the world?

    But since Muggles can’t do that, they must make do with the memes. Social media never backs out from coming up with a new challenge every now and then. This time, a new challenge is keeping netizens busy – 2020 mood of the month.

    It all started when celebrity Reese Witherspoon shared a meme capturing the many moods people felt in the year. Captioned “Yup. #2020,” Witherspoon’s Instagram post garnered over 1.4 million likes, showing just how deeply the meme resonated with people. It was widely shared and appreciated by netizens. From Priyanka Chopra, Mindy Kalang to many celebrities followed the trend but how can brands lag in the trend race?

    Many OTT players and entertainment brands leveraged this opportunity and came up with their own memes resonating with their audiences. Brands too tried to showcase the mood of the people in the year 2020. Here are some brands who decided to join the bandwagon:

    1. Sony Pix India:

    2. Sony Liv:

    Seems legit

    A post shared by SonyLIV (@sonylivindia) on

    3. Kotak Mahindra Bank:

    Sony Sports: https://www.facebook.com/SonySportsIndia/posts/3205422396209857

    5. South Africa Tourism:

    6. Warner Bros. Tv

    7. Netflix India:

    8. Amazon Prime Video India:

    moodposting ft. @bajpayee.manoj

    A post shared by amazon prime video IN (@primevideoin) on

    9. Alt Balaji:

    When will this calendar end? #ALTBalaji @sufisoul

    A post shared by ALTBalaji (@altbalaji) on

    10. MTV Beats:

  • Netflix goes more local, launches Hindi UI

    Netflix goes more local, launches Hindi UI

    KOLKATA: Netflix, the world’s leading streaming entertainment service, today launched its user interface in Hindi. This enables Netflix members who prefer Hindi to easily discover, access and enjoy their favourite Indian and international films and series. The complete Netflix experience in Hindi, from sign up to search rows, collections and payment, is available across all devices on mobile, TV and web.

    Netflix members can switch to the Hindi user interface from the Language option in the ‘Manage Profiles’ section on their desktop, TV or mobile browsers. On Netflix, members can set up to five profiles in each account, and each profile can have its own language setting. Netflix members outside India will also have the option to switch their user interface to Hindi.

    "Delivering a great Netflix experience is as important to us as creating great content. We believe the new user interface will make Netflix even more accessible and better suit members who prefer Hindi," Netflix India VP-Content Monika Shergill said.

    Netflix is investing heavily in Indian films and series across all genres and for all generations, including much-loved hits like Sacred Games, Bulbbul, Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai and Mighty Little Bheem. The company recently announced a lineup of 17 exciting stories, including Ludo, A Suitable Boy and Mismatched and the upcoming film Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl which will release on August 12. Netflix members can also discover and enjoy stories from other parts of the world, such as Stranger Things, Extraction, Narcos: Mexico, The Protector, Klaus, The Witcher, and Old Guard with Hindi dubs or subtitles.

    Netflix continues to improve the viewing experience with features like Smart Downloads, parental controls, and the Top 10 row. Last year, Netflix introduced the mobile plan in India for Rs. 199/ month.

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  • Netflix’s Rs 349 mobile+ plan not a game changer but can boost subscriptions

    Netflix’s Rs 349 mobile+ plan not a game changer but can boost subscriptions

    KOLKATA: Netflix took its first step to appear as an affordable streaming service last year with the launch of its Rs 199 mobile-only plan. Global executives have spoken of its success repeatedly and implemented similar plans in other markets. Now, it is testing a new Rs 349 plan targeting smartphone users which will allow users to stream HD.

    "We launched the mobile plan in India to make it easier for anyone with a smartphone to enjoy Netflix. We want to see if members like the added choice this offer brings. We’ll only roll it out long-term if they do,” a Netflix spokesperson clarified. 

    Experts believe it will position Netflix stronger in the competitive ecosystem given the large number of smartphone users in the country. SBICap Securities institutional equity research head Rajiv Sharma mentions that all markets or households don’t have wired broadband connection but most of them have a good smartphone and high-speed mobile data. According to him, there is a segment which has an appetite for that plan. Although it will be a niche segment to begin with, depending on the additional offerings it may make a difference, he adds.

    Sharma also says that it’s coinciding with the announcement of the 17 new originals. Hence, these fresh stories can result in a good pick-up. He mentions that the company has to monetise 17 originals by increasing subscriber base and recurring revenue.

    The Rs 199 plan, the cheapest offering from Netflix in India, comes with standard definition (SD) and only allows users to stream on their smartphones or tablets. On the contrary, the upgraded version of the mobile plan will let users to stream content additionally also on computers with HD. 

    Elara Capital VP – research analyst (Media) Karan Taurani says that this new plan which is under testing will definitely not be a game-changer like the Rs 199 plan but it is a good move from the marketing perspective. Segmentation of subscriptions into different price-points will help to communicate with different audiences. He also adds while Netflix mostly has a premium audience, if it is rolled out it will be attractive for low and mid users who have a smartphone. 

    "It’s consistent with this broad theme and goal that we have, which is seeking effective ways to make the Netflix service more accessible. And it certainly has been performing the way that we've expected, which is that it is a significant increase and acceleration in being able to add new members. But also that it's doing it at a way which is, from a revenue perspective, neutral to positive, which we think is a really great position to be in the long term for the business,” Netflix COO and chief product officer Gregory Peters commented earlier on the mobile plans.

  • Netflix unveils a robust content line-up of 17 upcoming originals

    Netflix unveils a robust content line-up of 17 upcoming originals

    KOLKATA: Netflix has today unveiled an exciting lineup of 17 original stories, including six new films and two new series. From thrillers to romantic comedies to lighthearted dramas, this unparalleled and diverse collection of entertaining stories will launch on Netflix in the coming months. 

    VP-Content, Netflix India Monika Shergill said, “We are excited to share our lineup of stories across formats and multiple genres. We know our members have unique tastes, moods and needs – sometimes, they want to lean back and watch a delightful comedy, and at other times, they want a pulse-pounding thriller that brings them to the edge of their seats. We are so proud to bring these diverse stories created by acclaimed and emerging storytellers and producing partners. Together with the finest stories from around the world and our rapidly growing selection of licensed titles, we want to give our members something to discover and love on Netflix every day.”

    The six new additions to Netflix films include – multi-starrer Ludo, a unique comedy drama about four people whose lives collide with each other (featuring Abhishek A. Bachchan,  Rajkummar Rao, Aditya Roy Kapur, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Pankaj Tripathi and Pearle Maaney); Torbaaz, an emotional story of transformation (starring Sanjay Dutt); crime thriller Raat Akeli Hai  (featuring Radhika Apte, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Aditya Srivastava, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Nishant Dahiya and Shweta Tripathi); Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, a stirring drama about two cousins and their quest for freedom (starring Konkona Sensharma and Bhumi Pednekar); romantic comedy Ginny Weds Sunny (featuring Yami Gautam, Vikrant Massey) and award-winning animated romance film Bombay Rose, the first Indian animation film ever selected to open Venice Critics’ Week. 

    These distinctive and captivating stories join the upcoming slate of Netflix films which include the inspiring true story of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (starring Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Angad Bedi, Viineet Kumar, Manav Vij and Ayesha Raza Mishra); a dysfunctional family drama Tribhanga – Tedhi Medhi Crazy (featuring Kajol, Tanvi Azmi and Mithila Palkar); a horror story set in a village in Punjab Kaali Khuhi (featuring Shabana Azmi, Satyadeep Mishra, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Riva Arora); Serious Men, a witty drama based on Manu Joseph’s novel (starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Nassar, Shweta Basu Prasad); an intense police drama Class Of ’83 (featuring Bobby Deol, Bhupendra Jadawat, Hitesh Bhojraj and Annup Sonii) and a uniquely entertaining dark comedy AK vs AK (starring Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap). 

    The two new exciting series are Mismatched, a young adult romance (starring Prajakta Koli and Rohit Saraf) based on Sandhya Menon’s book ‘When Dimple Met Rishi’ and A Suitable Boy, based on the critically acclaimed book by Vikram Seth (starring Ishaan Khatter, Tabu,  Tanya Maniktala, Rasika Dugal, Shahana Goswami and Ram Kapoor), which will be available on Netflix globally except in the United States and Canada. They join the lineup of upcoming series including the delightful Masaba Masaba (starring Masaba Gupta and Neena Gupta as themselves with Neil Bhoopalam); Bombay Begums, a contemporary drama (featuring Pooja Bhatt, Amruta Subhash, Shahana Goswami, Plabita Borthakur and Aadhya Anand) and a fun dramedy Bhaag Beanie Bhaag (earlier titled Messy, starring Swara Bhasker, Ravi Patel, Dolly Singh and Varun Thakur).