OTT giant Netflix has launched on Monday a free mobile plan without any ads in the East African country Kenya. The free Netflix plan would enable prospective streamers in Kenya to enjoy about 25% of the total Netflix portfolio of films and shows. This free plan would for now, be available only for Android mobile users.
By subscribing to the free Netflix plan, Kenyan residents would be able to watch popular Netflix titles completely free of charge. These titles include the cult show ‘Money Heist’, period drama series ‘Bridgerton’, Zack Snyder’s zombie heist actioner ‘Army of the Dead’, and South African teen crime drama series ‘Blood and Water’, amongst many other titles.
For signing up for the free Netflix plan, Kenyan users above 18 years of age can do so by just entering their email address without the need of even providing any payment information details. However, the catch is that they won’t be able to watch the free Netflix content on their laptops or televisions (casting disallowed). Besides, users won’t be able to download content on their devices.
Netflix’s free plan offering has come at a time when major markets like that of the USA have apparently reached a saturation point, as the post-pandemic growth rate for Netflix subscribers has ostensibly diminished amidst cut-throat competition in the OTT space.
Regarding the free Netflix plan in Kenya, Cathy Conk (Director, Product Innovation at Netflix) had stated that “If you’ve never watched Netflix before — and many people in Kenya haven’t — this is a great way to experience our service. And if you like what you see, it’s easy to upgrade to one of our paid plans so you can enjoy our full catalogue on your TV or laptop as well.”
If this free plan strategy of Netflix clicks with Kenyan audiences which, in turn, translates into more number of paid subscribers for the eminent platform, there is no reason not to believe that Netflix could replicate the same strategy for other potential unsaturated markets and that hopefully includes India.