Netflix, the US-based Internet TV giant, is set to start services in India by 2016, according to a report published by the Times of India. India already has a number of service providers in the Internet TV segment, like Hotstar, BigFlix and Hooq. With expanding 4G internet connectivity and increasing number of users streaming content, the Internet TV market has great growth prospects.
Netflix has a worldwide base of 62 million subscribers across 41 nations, and confirmed services in Italy, Portugal, Spain and Iceland by the end of 2015, and Czech Republic by 2016. Its major stronghold lies in the United States, with around 40 million subscribers in the U.S. alone. With India being marked as one of the largest and fastest growing nations in terms of Internet use, smartphone sales and online content streaming, Internet TV seems like the next big option for viewers to enjoy on-demand movies, shows and concerts.
Although there has not yet been an official confirmation regarding the launch of services in India, Netflix is believed to have discussed business models for India, along with HBO. Singapore-based Hooq offers similar services in India, for Rs. 199 per month. Audio streaming services have recently grown in popularity, with a lot of users subscribing to Rdio and Saavn, and Apple Music coming soon. While audio streaming is relatively less expensive, streaming videos might turn out to be expensive because of data limitations and charges in India.
DTH service providers are reportedly wary of Netflix arriving in India, according to ToI. They are reportedly looking to provide varied services apart from television content, to keep their market share intact.
Source: The Times of India