Netflix seals mobile, DTH partnerships in India
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Rebecca Hawkes
| 07 March 2017

US streaming giant Netflix has announced strategic partnerships in India with mobile operator Vodafone, and direct-to-home (DTH) TV providers Videocon d2h and Airtel Digital TV.

Netflix, which launched in India in January 2016, is planning to open an office in Mumbai and invest heavily in content.

“In 2017, we will work on making our Indian service better in every dimension. What's unique about Netflix is that we have got international originals and we will focus on premium content,” Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix told reporters in the country.

Through the tie-up with Videocon d2h and Airtel Digital TV, Netflix will be available to subscribers as an integrated app in the set-top box, without the need of a smart TV, Chromecast or Apple TV.

Netflix has also partnered with Vodafone to enable carrier billing for both post-paid and pre-paid customers. The subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service is priced in India from INR500 for standard definition quality, increasing to INR800 for 4K content.

“In the months and years to come, we look forward to bringing our Indian members more compelling stories from all over the world, an ever-improving viewing experience and incredible joy,” said Hastings.

Both Bharti Airtel’s MD & CEO of India Gopal Vittal and Videocon d2h’s executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot, welcomed the tie-up with the US subscription SVOD service.

Sandeep Kataria, director commercial, Vodafone India, added: “We are proud to be the first mobile partner of Netflix in India and look forward to offering its rich content to further delight our millions of customers”.

Netflix will be bringing Marvel’s Iron Fist and new seasons of Orange is the New Black and House of Cards to audiences soon. Later this year, subscribers will be able to see Netflix Original films such as War Machine starring Brad Pitt and Sir Ben Kingsley; Okja starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano; Our Souls at Night from Indian director Ritesh Batra and starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda; and Bright, starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton.

“Working with some of India’s top artists, we cannot wait to bring more locally-produced series and films to our more than 93 million members households around the world,” Hastings added.