Netflix is going to host its StreamFest in India, a 48 hour-long festival that will kick off on December 5 and run through Sunday (December 6). This simply means that interested people, especially the non-subscribers, can watch Netflix for free for two days.
“At Netflix, we want to bring the most amazing stories from across the world to all fans of entertainment in India. It’s why we’re hosting StreamFest: an entire weekend (December 5, 12.01 am-December 6, 11.59 pm) of free Netflix,” Netflix India Vice President (Content) Monika Shergill said in a blogpost.
The move is aimed at bringing new users to the platform that competes against players like Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar and Zee5 in the burgeoning OTT (over the top) market in India.
Shergill added that non-users of Netflix can sign up with their name, email or phone number, and password and start streaming without any payment.
“Anyone who signs in during StreamFest gets one stream in standard definition so, no one else can use the same login information to stream… And to make sure everyone who comes in gets the best experience, we will have to limit the number of StreamFest viewers.”
She further said that, “So, during StreamFest, if you see a message saying “StreamFest is at capacity”, don’t worry. We’ll let you know as soon as you can start streaming”.
Interest users logging into the StreamFest will be able to access every feature that members currently use. This all includes features like creating Profiles (including Kids’ Profiles), set Parental Controls, browse Netflix in Hindi and others.
Shergill said that with this, new visitors will be able to experience Netflix exactly the way its current members do.
Netflix has 195.15 million paid subscribers worldwide as of the third quarter of 2020. The company does not share country-specific user numbers.
The company has been aggressively expanding its presence in the Indian market. It has been rolling out localised content and bringing international titles as it looks to woo new users in the country, where online video consumption has seen massive growth in the past few years.
Last year, Netflix had piloted and then launched a mobile phone-only plan in India, a first for the company globally.
Currently, Netflix offers monthly subscription plans across three price slabs of Rs 499, Rs 649 and Rs 799, respectively, apart from the Rs 199 mobile-only pack. Its competitors like Amazon Prime Videos, Hotstar and ZEE5 offer their services at cheaper subscription rates, ranging between Rs 99-299 a month and Rs 999 annually.
A premium player, Netflix started its operations in India in 2016, and has introduced a number of Indian shows on its platform.