Netflix not for the common man? Company says it will cater to premium customers in India

Netflix launching in India created quite a buzz among the smartphone-with-a-reasonably-fast-Internet-connection wielding urban, global travellers who favour Orange Is The New Black over saas-bahu sagas. The company is looking to add exactly those people to its subscriber base. The on-demand media streaming company has said that it wants to position itself as a premium service provider in India. Subscribing to Netflix is possible only via credit card – already a kind of filter. “We are after a small base of English-speaking people, who travel abroad, are wealthy and want to watch the latest shows that are being launched in the US,” said a senior executive at the company, speaking to Times Of India. Netflix launched in India last month with monthly subscription plans amounting to Rs 500, Rs 650 and Rs 800. The first month will be free. Puneet Manchanda, a professor of marketing at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan had said at the time of the launch, “I would say that the current price is a bit on the high side for what Netflix offers currently and it will have to keep increasing content quantity and quality over time to justify the price point.” “For the Indian media landscape, the current entry is more evolutionary rather than revolutionary as the English speaking market already has access to a lot of Netflix’s India content,” Manchanda said. However, if Netflix can crack the vernacular market by producing content in local languages with local talent, it has the potential to be revolutionary, Manchanda added. The senior executive speaking to Times of India revealed that over time they will be looking at developing local content and are in talks with people to develop an indigenous TV series.