Netflix statement
Netflix said to Verge: “We are always looking for ways to make Netflix more enjoyable and accessible. We will be testing different options in select countries, where members can, for example, watch Netflix on their mobile device for a lower price and subscribe in shorter increments of time.” The last part of the statement suggests that Netflix may start to allow weekly or biweekly plans as well as monthly plans. Netflix would not say what other countries than India would share the test.
Netflix is also testing a replay function that has drawn negative reactions from a number of users so that it may turn out not to be a permanent feature or could be just an option.
Netflix has expressed interest in India
It makes sense that the test would be made in India a place where Netflix has expressed interest. Just last week Netflix product Vice President, Toddy Yellin gave a keynote address in Mumbai describing the countries plans to extend interactive TV shows with expanded content from India. Yelling pointed out the success that Netflix has already had with the India-based series Sacred Games about a police officer chasing a crime overlord. The series was popular not only in India but with audiences abroad.
A recent Verge article reporting on Yelllin’s speech: “Netflix plans to make more interactive TV shows after Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, the Choose Your Own Adventure-style program, found international success, Netflix product VP Todd Yellin said in Mumbai at a keynote presentation on Tuesday, as reported by Variety. “It’s a huge hit here in India, it’s a huge hit around the world, and we realized, wow, interactive storytelling is something we want to bet more on,” he said. “We’re doubling down on that. So expect over the next year or two to see more interactive storytelling.””
