As competition from Apple and Disney continues to mount, Netflix is doing all sorts of new things to try and ensure it stays at the top of streaming now and into the future. In America, we recently saw the success of "Choose Your Own Adventure" episodes, and now the streaming giant is trying something else experimental overseas. Some subscribers are being offered the opportunity for a cheaper mobile-only plan, and it's a real value.
The plan, which is currently available in "select countries" is said to be $3.63 a month currently in India. As mentioned, the plan would only allow for mobile phone access to the platform at a price that cuts India's current subscription rate of $7.27 a month practically in half. That's quite a difference, and may encourage some people paying more to start utilizing their device more to pay less!
Another interesting note about this new system, is that Netflix told Variety it's also testing out other ways for subscribers to be thrifty. An official statement from the platform revealed that some users could subscribe to the service for a shorter period of time, as opposed to the typical monthly subscription billing period. This may open the door to weekly, bi-weekly, or even daily subscriptions for consumers to enjoy.
Both ideas could be a game-changer for people, especially those on the fence about subscribing due to Netflix's cost. Someone may not want to pay to have it regularly, but may let their kid have it for a couple weeks on their phone so they can binge Stranger Things and talk about it with friends. It's not like someone needs a month-long subscription to enjoy a show, and some folks thrive on how fast they can run through a show.
Unfortunately, my penny-pinching American friends, there is some bad news. At the moment Netflix is only running these tests in select countries, and there's no word whether this subscription plan will get a worldwide release even if the company does find it to be a massive success. If Netflix already has strong subscribership by traditional means in some countries, then adding this plan may cause some to downgrade, and thus, affect the company's bottom line.
Conversely, if consumers start signing up for the competition, Netflix may unveil the currently experimental plan in the United States in an effort to keep some who aren't as interested in Santa Clarita Diet as much as they are the entire Disney library on the hook for a fee. Netflix is so secretive about most of its inner workings, so there's really no telling what its plans are for these mobile-only plans.
CinemaBlend will keep readers informed on all the latest Netflix news, and yes, this includes all the shows coming to it in the near future. Speaking of which, be sure to read up on which popular dinosaur franchise is apparently getting a spinoff on the platform and how subscribers found out about it.
