Netflix is still playing catch up to Amazon Prime in India
The Indian internet is set to be the battleground between the two streaming giants Amazon Prime and Netflix as they set to wage war over Indian film and TV rights.
2017 may well be the year when the Indian public move more towards online streaming compared to normal television, as both streaming heavyweights look set to compete to add quality Bollywood and television dramas to their services.
Netflix entered the Indian market almost a year after Amazon but have started to take it seriously, announcing an exclusive title deal with Bollywood Baadshah Shahrukh Khan and adding blockbuster films to its roster.
India is a very different market compared to Western ones and Netflix realises that its standard model of using universally relevant library of titles is not going to meet the more vertical market needs of Indian audiences.
Netflix is still playing catch up to Amazon Prime in India, who have established a solid base amongst Indian viewers as they released a rich array of movies, television shows and original exclusive content.
Netflix certainly wants to gain a foothold in the Indian market and has captured of the rights of one of the biggest and most talked about Bollywood films of the 2016, ‘Udta Punjab’.
The announcement in June 2016 of the first Netflix original crime series in India, called Sacred Games based on the book by Indian author Vikram Chandra, will definitely not be enough. A lot more will be needed in a country that is hooked on television serials and their weekly fix of Bollywood films being released.
Price points will be key in deciding which streaming service the price-conscious Indian public choose and Amazon’s offer of a subscription is available at Rs 499; this is the same price at which a monthly plan for Netflix can be brought.
This price difference may give Amazon Prime the edge over Netflix; it will be interesting and only a good thing for the Indian public if the competition heats up and online content from both streaming heavyweights will only continue to increase in quality.