Will subscription fee driven Netflix work in a country like India?

                  Netflix -The global provider that started off as an American DVD by-mail service in 1998 is out to attract customers around the world. It is a subscription based film and television program rental service that offers media to subscribers via Internet streaming thus making it possible to watch movies and TV shows on a number of devices ranging from smart phones to smart TV. Apart from TV shows and movies, it is also known to stream a lot of original content in high resolution HD. 

      Netflix reached India in early 2016. The question looming large is ‘Will a subscription based service like Netflix survive in India when video downloads is freely available via torrents, youtube and other video streaming services? The subscription fee for Netflix in India is   500/ month, (not very cheap though), how many of us would be ready to shell out the amount when the ‘free download system’ exists in our veins. 

        Again pricing is not the only concern. Internet speeds also matter. Currently Netflix gives the following usage statistics: 

• Low (0.3 GB per hour)

• Medium (SD: 0.7 GB per hour)

• High (Best video quality, up to 3 GB per hour for HD and 7 GB per hour for Ultra HD)

• Auto (Adjusts automatically to deliver the highest possible quality, based on your current Internet connection speed)

One would definitely agree, that high speed internet connection is a must for video streaming and that is still a fancy dream in many Indian cities. The average data plans available by telecom providers do support streaming of video content at high speed but almost always at the cost of higher prices. This might be another obstacle in Netflix’s reach to a larger Indian audience.

Also to have Netflix it is necessary to have a credit card or ‘International Banking Activated’ debit card. This would further mean divulging of personal information and only time can tell how many would be interested in doing so just to watch shows as against free availability through other means. 

             Additionally the Netflix catalogue caters to a global audience providing very few Indian content based shows. Hence if it has to have a upper hand in the Indian market, it needs to capture the native audience in the real sense by offering more local content.

   To conclude, in the present scenario , Netflix might work if and only if torrents are completely banned , if the subscription fees are toned down to double digits and with an option of more local shows. However considering that India is growing and that a ‘not seen before’ 3G connection is fast gaining popularity even in the smallest towns, who knows Netflix might be able to gain its hold on the Indian market  : this however, still remains to be seen.