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in objectifying manner”. film and television streaming service in in Asia, including PCCW Ltd.’s Viu, offer
Earlier, the Central government had some markets to boost sales. The compa- a free service and a paid service, with
told the Delhi High Court in February ny hasn’t committed to lowering prices the latter typically priced between $2
this year that online platforms like Net- anywhere, but does want to experiment, and $5 a month. “Leaving prices where
flix, Amazon Prime Video and others a Bloomberg report had quoted Chief they are, we are a very premium ser-
are not required to obtain licences Executive Officer Reed Hastings as say- vice,” Todd Yellin, Netflix’s vice president
from the government to run their pro- ing. He, however, didn’t specify when or of product.
grammes. “Online platforms are not where the test would be conducted. Netflix, the world’s largest streaming
required to obtain any licences from the A lower-priced offering would be a service with more than 130 million sub-
Ministry of Information and Broadcast- departure for Netflix, which has main- scribers, is looking to Asia as fertile ter-
ing and the content on online platforms tained or raised prices in major markets ritory for new customers after entering
is not being regulated by this Ministry,” as it adds content and invests in local the region three years ago. The company
the Centre had told a bench of Chief productions to draw subscribers. While announced 17 new shows from five Asian
Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice the company alluded to experiments countries at an event last week in Sin-
V. Kameswar Rao. with cheaper subscription deals in a con- gapore, where it hosted more than 100
The court was hearing an NGO, Jus- ference call last month on its earnings, journalists and social media influencers
tice for Rights Foundation, plea filed by this is the first time Netflix has said it will from across the region.
advocate Harpreet S. Hora who has test a lower-priced tier in some markets. The service is developing more than
sought laws or guidelines for regulat- Netflix offers subscriptions at three 100 film and TV projects across India,
ing vulgar and sexually explicit content Korea, Japan, Thailand and Taiwan and
available on these platforms. The peti- has set up a local headquarters in Singa-
tioner had told the court that a complaint A petition, filed pore. It is also looking to hire in Seoul, To-
with the police has already been filed kyo and Mumbai. Still, growth has been
but no action has been taken. The court by NGO Justice for slow in the region. The company has yet
asked the petitioner to seek appropriate Rights, alleges that to amass 2 million subscribers in any
remedies on his complaint. country, according to estimates by Media
The court had also dismissed the the online media Partners Asia. Hastings said Netflix could
plea which has sought removal of vul- streaming platforms attract as many as 100 million customers
gar and sexually explicit content from in India alone.
online platforms like Netflix, Amazon show ‘uncertified, The most popular video service in
Prime Video and others. The petitioner Asia, and the world, is Alphabet Inc.’s
said online platforms offered vulgar, sexually explicit and YouTube. A bottomless repository of free
sexually explicit, pornographic, profane, vulgar’ content and videos, YouTube has added hundreds of
virulent, religiously forbidden and mor- millions of users as access to cheap, high-
ally unethical contents in order to attract are operating without speed internet has spread across the
more subscribers and generate profit. being governed region. “At what point do these guys start
The NGO had alleged that most of the saying we need to change our pricing,”
content available was in violation of the Vivek Couto, executive director of Media
Indian Penal Code and the Information price levels, and doesn’t plan to lower Partners Asia, a consultancy, was quoted
Technology Act. that of its cheapest tier. Instead, execu- as saying by Bloomberg. “He’s not going
tives are formulating an alternate ver- to get 100 million subscribers in India
Lower subscription sion of the service, or a fourth tier, that with the current strategy.”
Netflix, meanwhile, is testing a 250 will have different features and cost less. In India, Netflix offers subscriptions at
monthly subscription for mobile de- Netflix streaming first gained traction in 500 a month, 650 and 800. Star India’s
vices in India, the video streaming giant the US by offering a buffet of TV shows Hotstar Premium streaming service, by
said, aiming to boost its presence in a and movies for a fraction of the cost of comparison, sells for 199 a month. Hast-
price-sensitive market where data pay-TV, encouraging millions of people ings reportedly said he isn’t too worried
consumption on smartphones is surg- to cancel their cable and satellite sub- about local competitors, nor is he trying
ing. California-based Netflix currently scriptions--also known as cord-cutting. to be as ubiquitous as YouTube. In India,
offers three monthly plans in India, rang- Now, the world’s largest streaming ser- for example, the company is targeting
ing from 500 to 800, but those are still vice is looking for growth in countries the 100 million or so people who speak
expensive compared with similar offer- where per-capita income is significantly some English, and earn enough money to
ings from rivals. lower. afford a video service like Netflix.
Earlier there were reports that Netf- Prices vary a bit by territory, and the
lix will test a lower-priced version of its cheapest US plan is about $7.99. Many letters@tehelka.com

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