Netflix tests cheaper subscription plan with HD streaming support for India
Last year, Netflix launched a mobile-only subscription plan for India worth Rs 199. The plan has been well received by the users in the country, the company said. This Rs 199 plan, however, is restricted to standard definition (SD). The streaming platform is now testing a new mobile plan worth Rs 349 which is much cheaper than the basic Netflix plan priced at Rs 499 per month.
Commenting on the test of the Rs 349 plan Netflix in an email statement to indianexpress.com said, “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.”
The upcoming Rs 349 plan is being tested in the country, in other words, available only for select users right now. The key highlight of this plan is support for HD streaming.
The plan reportedly works on smartphone, tablet, and even computer but not TV. Similar to the basic Netflix plan the Rs 345 plan is also said to be limited to one device at a time. It allows only one person will be able to stream content on Netflix at a time. The plan was first spotted by Android Pure.
Here’s are the details of Netflix Rs 199 mobile plan
Compared to the Netflix basic plan worth Rs 499 the upcoming mobile plan at Rs 345 supports HD streaming. The basic plan supports only SD streaming. Both plans can work only in one device at a time. Another difference between these two plans is that the expensive one can stream content on TV as well.
Overall, the upcoming mobile Netflix plan looks like a much better deal than Rs 499 plan if watching movies on TV is not your thing.
The streaming platform also offers a standard plan worth Rs 649 per month and Rs 799 premium plan. The Rs 649 standard plan offers HD streaming and supports two screens at a time. The Rs 799 premium plan offers 4K, HDR content, and supports UHD streaming on four screens at the same time.
By bringing affordable plans Netflix wants to compete with other popular streamings services in the country such as Hotstar Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Zee5, among others.
In a past letter issued Netflix said that its mobile-only plan in India had better retention. In the letter it noted, “Our approach with pricing is to grow revenue and so far, uptake and retention on our mobile plan in India has been better than our initial testing suggested. This will allow us to invest more in Indian content to further satisfy our members.”