Netflix Signs Deals With Airtel, Vodafone, Videocon d2h
By : Legal Era
Update: 2017-03-07 12:00 GMT
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Netflix (an American entertainment company that specializes in and provides streaming media and video-on-demand online and DVD by mail) said that it has partnered with Airtel, Videocon d2h, and Vodafone in India in an attempt to ramp up its presence in the Indian market. Netflix, which is up against strong competition from rivals like Amazon Prime, HotStar, and others in the Indian market,...
Netflix (an American entertainment company that specializes in and provides streaming media and video-on-demand online and DVD by mail) said that it has partnered with Airtel, Videocon d2h, and Vodafone in India in an attempt to ramp up its presence in the Indian market. Netflix, which is up against strong competition from rivals like Amazon Prime, HotStar, and others in the Indian market, is investing aggressively in local content.
In this regard, Netflix Co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings said, “India is one of the most important and we are delighted to be teaming up with three of India’s leading companies. The partnerships with Airtel and Videocon d2h are for set-top boxes, while the Vodafone partnership is for payment integration.”
Hastings further added that growth in consumption has also been driven by free data offering from Reliance Jio and that Netflix is in discussion with many other players in India for partnerships.
Hastings said that the company has seen strong adoption of its services since its launch in India in January 2016. “We have a strong growth here (India), stronger than all the other Asian nations (except China, where Netflix is not present)... We are investing heavily on content. The content has doubled over the last year, and we expect it to double next year. We are also setting up a Mumbai office,” Hastings said.
Hastings then stated that “In 2017, we’ll be working on making our Indian service better in every dimension. We are keen on bringing more locally-produced series and films to our more than 93 million members of households globally.”
Despite intense competition, Hastings said that the company will focus on improving its content library and continue to have a premium play rather than changing prices. Netflix, which has gained popularity in India on the back of successful shows like Narcos and The Crown, is also keen on bringing more original programming to consumers.
Hastings added that this will help bring content to users across markets without worrying about licensing the content.
Netflix is also considering the introduction of more payment options for Indian users, given the low penetration of credit cards.