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Tag: Netflix

  • Netflix testing Rs 250 mobile-only subscription in India

    Netflix testing Rs 250 mobile-only subscription in India

    MUMBAI: Giant video-streaming service Netflix is believed to be experimenting with a mobile-only subscription for a select group of users in India. Rs 250 per month is what the streamer is hoping to charge for its mobile-only plan, half of its Rs 500 entry-level subscription price in the country.

    According to ET Tech, subscribers can only consume standard definition (SD) content on one mobile or tablet screen at a time. This plan, however, is not part of Netflix’s currently monthly subscriptions that cost users Rs 500-800 depending on the nature of the plans.

    “We will be testing different options in select countries where members can watch Netflix on their mobile device for a lower price and subscribe in shorter increments of time. Not everyone will see these options and we may never roll out these specific plans beyond the tests," a Netflix spokesperson said commenting on the development.

    Last year, Netflix chief product officer Greg Peters, during earnings call, had said that the company would experiment with their pricing strategy in India in a bid to draw more users to its platforms.

    Competing against the likes of Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, ZEE5 among others, Netflix will remain the most expensive streaming service in India.

    Earlier this week, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings had described the Indian OTT market as ‘super competitive’ and ‘exciting’.

    "There is also lots happening on Amazon, and on Hotstar, which is now going to be owned by Disney… It's a super competitive, exciting market,” he said.

    One of the hallmarks of the Indian market, Hastings highlighted, is the ongoing telecom revolution triggered by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio. According to him, there is "nothing more impressive in the world than what Reliance Jio has done in the past four years in India" to democratise internet accessibility.

    This latest move by Netflix, in a sense, hopes to grab a share of the consumer’s attention and wallet by riding on Jio’s disruptive force.­

  • Netflix CEO Reed Hastings on competition and content creation in India

    Netflix CEO Reed Hastings on competition and content creation in India

    MUMBAI: With Amazon flexing its muscle and soon to be Disney-owned Hotstar in the fray, the Indian OTT market is super competitive and exciting, feels Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. "There is also lots happening on Amazon, and on Hotstar, which is now going to be owned by Disney… It's a super competitive, exciting market,” he was quoted as saying by news agency IANS.

    One of the hallmarks of the Indian market, Hastings highlighted, is the ongoing telecom revolution triggered by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio. According to him, there is "nothing more impressive in the world than what Reliance Jio has done in the past four years in India" to democratise internet accessibility.

    The streaming giant’s boss is of the opinion that these are good times for Indian content creators.

    "If you were an Indian content creator (earlier), there were very few places to go, and now there are many places to go. So, people are pouring in. There are amazing amounts of stories that are coming up,” he said.

    The 58-year-old is pleased with his company’s performance in India.

    "There has been tremendous traction… Everyone has been talking about Lust Stories and Sacred Games. We have Delhi Crime coming out this week. So, there's lots that's happening on the original front,” he added.

    Hastings pointed out that the Indian market has room to do different kinds of stories.

    "We try to tell the best stories we can. Sometimes they are ready, sometimes they take longer. It really varies by that. There are so many streaming services, but if you think about how many networks there are on cable in India, there are way more than 34. I think there's a lot of room to do different kinds of stories," he stated.

    Hastings also commented on the self-regulatory Code of Best Practices that Netflix and others have signed.

    "None of us want strict government regulation on content. We can be flexible and can protect creative freedom a little better if we are a little bit proactive," he explained.

    On the online censorship front, there is not much activity, Hastings noted.

    "It's just before the elections. We are hoping the talk moves on because it's a challenging time to talk about anything like that. So in general, people around the world…and I am talking about adults, not children, want to watch what they want to watch, and the Internet represents that freedom,” he said.

  • Netflix declines being part of Apple TV service

    Netflix declines being part of Apple TV service

    MUMBAI: Streaming giant Netflix will not make its content available on Apple’s upcoming video offering. The latter is expected to introduce its video-streaming services on 25 March ramping up the competition in streaming business.

    “We prefer to let our customers watch our content on our service,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings told as quoted by the Reuters. “We have chosen not to integrate with their service,” he added.

    Till now, Netflix has not adopted the most recent revamp of Apple's TV app for iOS. According to media reports, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said that their intentions have been moving away from the App Store subscription fee defending the decision not to adopt. He also added that Apple TV was not an important source of revenue for the OTT platform.

    The new service from Apple may have original content as well as resell subscriptions from CBS Corp, Viacom and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp’s Starz among others.  With entry of apple, the upcoming launch of Disney’s streaming service, Netflix is about to face tough challenge in near future.

  • Netflix announces the date and releases the trailer for its new Marathi film, 15 August

    Netflix announces the date and releases the trailer for its new Marathi film, 15 August

    MUMBAI: After receiving a hugely positive response on its first regional title Firebrand, Netflix today launched the trailer of its upcoming licensed original Marathi film, 15 August. Produced by veteran Bollywood actor Madhuri Dixit Nene and her husband, Dr. Shriram Nene, the film is all set to release on the service across 190 countries on March 29, 2019.

    Set in a Mumbai chawl, the film follows the course of a series of zany mishaps that occur on a single day, as its residents prepare for the Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony. The film revolves around how the course of the day unfolds on a not-so-typical Independence Day – when a lover, in his quest to win over his beloved, ends up creating complete mayhem, compelling all the residents to unite and help him out of his mess. The film beautifully highlights what independence, love, and affection mean to the residents of the colony. This slice-of-life Marathi film delves into the real struggles of the Indian urban middle-class India and, in a soaring climax, shows us how love ultimately sets us free.

    On donning the producer’s hat, Madhuri Dixit Nene says, “There’s always been a part of me that wanted to create and back meaningful films, and there couldn’t be a better starting point for me than 15 August. This is an endearing, relatable story that has been brought to life beautifully by the talented Swapnaneel Jayakar and actors Rahul Pethe, Mrunmayee Deshpande, and Adinath Kothare.”

  • Amazon Prime Video is India’s most-viewed OTT platform in February

    Amazon Prime Video is India’s most-viewed OTT platform in February

    MUMBAI: Amid a large number of OTT platforms, Amazon Prime Video was the most-viewed one in India for the period between 12 February and 3 March. A survey done by market research and analysis company Velocity MR has revealed the high popularity of the international player, which is leaving no stone unturned to make big fortune in the country.

    2,100 participants based in top Indian metro cities including Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Pune were surveyed. The findings revealed that more than 70 per cent of respondents claimed to watch Amazon Prime regularly at least once a week while 56 per cent watched Netflix and 50 per cent of them watched Star India-led Hotstar.

    According to a report by Inc42, Velocity MR managing director Jasal Shah said Amazon Prime has built its popularity on the back of its partnership with telcos which makes the service cheaper compared to other subscription based video on demand services.

    He also added that Netflix’s demand rose due to its originals. As the OTT platform has announced eight more Indian originals, the popularity is not going to fall down anytime soon. On the other hand, Hotstar’s viewership was mainly high on sports content. With IPL starting from 25 March, the viewership of Hotstar is expected to increase more.

    Among other OTT platforms, Voot had a viewership of 28 per cent, Eros Now stood with 17 per cent, ALTBalaji with 13 per cent, Viu had 9 per cent, Sun NXT had 7 per cent and TVF had 6 per cent viewership.

  • Netflix to keep both dubbing and subtitling options available

    Netflix to keep both dubbing and subtitling options available

    MUMBAI: The fact that India has a higher per cent of mobile streaming compared to the US has caught Netflix’s eye. Speaking at a session moderated by CNN News 18 Editor Anuradha Sengupta on the stage of FICCI Frames 2019, Netflix VP Product Todd Yellin said that despite the liking for the small screens, India’s fondness for the big screen will not fade away.

    While Netflix has already delivered hits like Sacred Games in India, the OTT platform will double its investment in the country. He also added in a presentation that the series was a global hit for the service, with two out of three viewers of the show live outside India. On the other hand, Indians are also loving international shows as Bandersnatch was a huge hit here also.

    “We don’t care about someone’s gender so we don’t collect it. We don’t care about the age so we don’t collect it. The only data we really care about is taste and we don’t want to stereotype. Internet TV is for everyone to liberate and make the experience greater so they can enjoy entertainment on their control and that’s what we care about,” Yellin commented while asked about the demographic and psychographic profile of Netflix users in the country.

    To reach to more people, Netflix is also planning to extend the number of languages in which the content is available. While Orange is the new Black was released in seven languages back in 2013, The Umbrella Academy was released in more than 25 languages six weeks ago.

    Along with subtitling, Netflix also wants to keep the dubbing option always available for users given the past data. “45 per cent of people watched Ghoul in English speaking countries with dubbing, 37 per cent with subtitles and 18 per cent with both,” he highlighted.

    Although Netflix is becoming unbeatable among OTT platforms, Disney’s entry in the space is likely to pose a challenge. However, the company seems to look at it positively as Yellin said competition motivates the team venturing into more interesting things.

    The OTT platform will be doubling down on interactive series also but it won’t necessarily be science fiction or dark. According to Yellin, it could be a wacky comedy or a romance even. With all the plans in store, the next couple of years will be interesting to see how the OTT platform handles its leading position as other big pocket players are stepping in.

  • Netflix ropes in STXinternational’s David Kosse to lead new international film division

    Netflix ropes in STXinternational’s David Kosse to lead new international film division

    MUMBAI: After two high profile exits in the last few days, Netflix has reportedly roped STXinternational’s David Kosse to lead its new international film division. Kosse will be focusing particularly on significant non-English-language films along with overseeing all international production and acquisition for the streaming giant in his role as international film VP.

    According to reports, Kosse will report to Universal alum Scott Stuber. “We want to make significant movies which will have a big impact in major markets such as France, Germany, Italy and Spain but which can also travel to our subscribers around the world. Movies such as Roma and Intouchables. The focus right now for this division is to establish the foreign language movies in the same way Netflix has established series that have travelled,” Kosse commented as quoted by Deadline.

    Teresa Moneo, director of international film and Funa Maduka, director of international film and acquisitions will join Kosse in the Netflix London office. As he has spent his career launching and building international film divisions, the move is expected to boost the company’s international film presence.

    Last week, Netflix CMO Kelly Bennet announced his exit from the company after a stint of seven years. Bennet led Netflix’s marketing efforts at a time when its subscriber base grew exponentially. He also played a very important role in the marketing of original content of the platform. Erik Barmack, Netflix’s current vice-president for international originals, is also leaving the company after an eight-year stint.

  • Netflix to release the trailer for its true-crime anthology series, Delhi Crime

    Netflix to release the trailer for its true-crime anthology series, Delhi Crime

    MUMBAI: Netflix released the trailer of its upcoming police-procedural  series, Delhi Crime, which will launch on the service in 190 countries on March 22. Delhi Crime  is a seven-part anthology series written and directed by award-winning Indo-Canadian filmmaker Richie Mehta and stars Shefali Shah, Adil Hussain, Rasika Dugal and Rajesh Tailang.

    The story is a fictionalized depiction of the 2012 investigation into the incident and captures the complexities of the scrutiny, the emotional toll on the investigating team, and their determination to bring the perpetrators to justice in a fraught environment, seen through the lens of the investigation led by Varthika Chaturvedi (Shefali Shah), the police officer in charge.

    The series premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2019, and has been lauded and garnered stellar reviews from critics across the world.

    Produced by Golden Karavan and Ivanhoe Pictures, the first season of Delhi Crime premieres on Netflix on March 22, 2019.

  • Netflix’s Leila to launch globally on 14th june

    Netflix’s Leila to launch globally on 14th june

    MUMBAI: Netflix Inc., the world’s leading internet entertainment service announced today that their next Indian Original Series Leila will launch globally on  June 14, 2019. Based on the book by Prayaag Akbar, Leila stars actors Huma Qureshi, Siddharth, Rahul Khanna, Sanjay Suri, Arif Zakaria amongst others. Deepa Mehta is the Creative Executive Producer for the show.

    Deepa Mehta, creative executive producer said “At the heart of this series is the journey of a woman, in search of her daughter Leila, but also in search of identity.  Leila is about awareness, about paying attention, about looking at the world around us and asking pertinent questions about our future. That’s what makes it so perfect on a platform like Netflix with its global reach and ability to address a range of audiences with relevant, resonant stories. “

    The six-episode series is a dystopian work of fiction set in the near future and follows the journey of Shalini, a mother in search of her daughter Leila whom she lost one tragic summer. Shalini deals with various hardships in the course of her search, in a story of longing, faith and loss. The series is directed by Deepa Mehta, Shanker Raman and Pawan Kumar.

    Huma Qureshi, on her role, said, “Leila has been a fantastic Netflix project to work on. I’m thrilled to be essaying Shalini, whose unique mix of strength, grace and optimism is what gets her through all kinds of obstacles. So it really has been an honour to portray a character that has not only pushed me as an artist but I believe will resonate with a lot of young women. It is unlike anything I have done before and I can’t wait for Netflix to take this story to the world!”

    Siddharth said “My character Bhanu is a complex one and playing him has been an intense yet fruitful journey. Although the story Leila is set in a dystopian age, it is about human emotions. The team on set was wonderful which made this journey even more memorable. I am very excited to see how a global audience on Netflix reacts to this story.”

    The series launches worldwide exclusively on Netflix on June 14, 2019.

  • Netflix acquires the rights to develop gabriel garcia marquez’s masterpiece one hundred years of solitude As a new netflix series

    Netflix acquires the rights to develop gabriel garcia marquez’s masterpiece one hundred years of solitude As a new netflix series

    MUMBAI: For the first time in history, Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez’s literary masterwork One Hundred Years of Solitude is coming to the screen — as a new series for Netflix members worldwide. Netflix has acquired the rights to develop the beloved and acclaimed novel, considered to be one of the most significant works of the 20th Century, into a Netflix Spanish language original series. One Hundred Years of Solitude was first published in 1967 and since that time has sold an estimated 50 million copies around the world and has been translated into 46 languages*.

    García Márquez’s sons Rodrigo Garcia and Gonzalo García Barcha will serve as executive producers on the series, which will be filmed mainly in Colombia. "For decades our father was reluctant to sell the film rights to Cien Años de Soledad because he believed that it could not be made under the time constraints of a feature film, or that producing it in a language other than Spanish would not do it justice,” said Garcia. He continued, “But in the current golden age of series, with the level of talented writing and directing, the cinematic quality of content, and the acceptance by worldwide audiences of programs in foreign languages, the time could not be better to bring an adaptation to the extraordinary global viewership that Netflix provides. We are excited to support Netflix and the filmmakers in this venture, and eager to see the final product."

    “We are incredibly honored to be entrusted with the first filmed adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude, a timeless and iconic story from Latin America that we are thrilled to share with the world,” said Francisco Ramos, Vice President, Spanish Language Originals for Netflix. “We know our members around the world love watching Spanish-language films and series and we feel this will be a perfect match of project and our platform.”