Smartphones, cheap data plans and now the lockdown has ensured a massive appetite for entertainment. While Netflix, Amazon and Hotstar had already disrupted the comfort zones of the previous rulers of entertainment, but the entry of local platforms such as Voot, Sony LIV, ALTBalaji, Zee5, MXplayer to name a few, changed the rules of the game. According to reports, India currently has over 40 OTT platforms.
Despite Netflix’s presence in an overwhelming number of countries around the world, in India the diverse audience craves local content in regional languagues- a requirement Amazon Prime Video seems to have fulfilled. Amazon Prime Video also produces a large number of originals in Telugu, Tamil and Bengali to name a few. Similarly, Disney+Hotstar too has integrated to cater to the varied languages of India. However, Netflix is yet to catch up on the regional segment. Even though the platforms hosts a variety of popular shows from countries across the globe such as the Spanish show Money Heist, Israeli show Fauda and German show Dark, the Indian content remains handful.
As Netflix continues to evolve, with a new focus on acclaimed original content, it seems to gear ramp up its position as a market leader in the entertainment streaming industry. According to some reports, Netflix is in allegedly in talks with Viacom 18. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in December 2019 that the company planned to invest nearly $400 million to develop content for Indian viewers. Local-language shows are vital for the international platform’s growth in India.
Thus, along with its recent subsidised Indian mobile tariff plan of Rs 199 per month, a deal with Viacom, which is the entertainment arm of Reliance Industries, could ensure a boost in Netflix’s Indian offerings. However, a Netflix spokesperson has stated that Netflix has denied the company is in talks with Network18 or Viacom18.
Despite, the talks it is clear that the streaming giant needs to ramp up its regional offerings if it plans to give its Indian competitors a solid contest. Currently, Netflix has a slew of 24 Indian originals in the pipe line such as Anushka Sharma’s Mai, Bobby Deol’s Class of 83, Alankrita Srivastava’s Bombay Begums among other projects to woo Indian viewers.
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