Netflix ties up with Airtel, Videocon d2h and Vodafone to seize Indian market
These partnerships will make Netflix originals such as ‘House of Cards’ and ‘Narcos’ easily accessible to viewers through DTH and mobile platforms.
Video streaming service Netflix on Monday announced deals with Bharti Airtel, Videocon d2h and Vodafone, aiming to capture the Indian market and compete with Amazon Prime and Hotstar. Once these deals are in place, Netflix originals such as House of Cards, Narcos and The Crown will be easily accessible across direct-to-home and mobile platforms throughout India, reported IANS.
“The partnerships with Airtel and Videocon d2h are for set-top boxes, while the Vodafone partnership is for payment integration,” said Netflix Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings, according to PTI.
According to the terms of the deals, Airtel will integrate the Netflix app into its DTH service, while Videocon’s viewers can access Netflix by clicking on a dedicated button on the remote control. Vodafone’s customers will be able to pay for their Netflix subscriptions along with their monthly phone bills, as per the agreement.
Hastings said that they may even set up an office in Mumbai later this year, adding that they would concentrate on building local content. “The content has doubled over the last year and we expect it to double next year. We are keen to bring more locally-produced series and films to our more than 93 million members households globally,” the CEO said.
Neftlix was launched in India in January last year, and Hastings said that people have been lapping up its services. “We have a strong growth here [in India], stronger than in all the other Asian nations,” he added. In December last year, Netflix had signed a deal with Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. The company wants to be the first to eliminate buffering, as well, reported The Indian Express.