Why Netflix Fails in India? Need for Data Analysis
As the weekend is approaching, I decided that I could go for a Netflix plan and binge-watch something engaging this weekend to give my mind some rest. I read a few articles about the current Netflix plans and their costs in India, and thought that I could check it out for a month, and then decide whether to go for another month on Netflix or not. When I opened the website, in step 1, I was asked to pick a plan, in step 2, I was told to confirm a method of payment, and in step 3, I was asked to make the payment. When I opened the payment portal, I was surprised (maybe I shouldn’t be, and it’s only normal for Netflix?). The app asked me to agree to let the app make automatic payments until the year 2027. What???
I hesitated there. Even if the popular OTT platform promises that you can cancel anytime and that there’s no contract, asking me to agree to automate payments for 5 years at a stretch, now that is too much! How can one be sure that they’d need a product or a brand would be as good as it is or would get better in a span of 5 years? With no such assurance, why ask for automatic, monthly deductions?
As I hesitated, the website said that I can browse the options available until I make my payment. As I scrolled up and down and left and right, I could barely find one movie or series that I wanted to watch. Nothing, absolutely nothing tempted me enough to go click an option to see what it is about or even how well-rated it was.
Dear Netflix,
Know your audience if you want your products or services to be sold.
The Top 10 Are Disappointing. Among “Top 10” for the day in India were mostly movies or series I have either not heard of are considered seriously boring. These series would attract only a very small percentage of the Indian audience. “Never Have I Ever” is top-rated? I am active on social media, and rarely have I seen people of any age group even talk about it.
There are not enough options to cater to south Indians. While Bollywood movies and Hindi series can interest Indians in many states in north India, starting from ancient times, south India has celebrated languages of its own (languages that are still actively spoken and thriving), so the typical south Indian rarely ever feels the need to check out Hindi movies and series. In south India, we have Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, and such, which are very big industries and frequently launch successful blockbusters.
You don’t seem to attract enough directors and producers. Talking about the lack of interesting content, it’s not like there are not enough series or movies being made. While Covid-19 did affect a lot of outdoor work, leaving people in the entertainment industry to withdraw and suffer, they are trying to get back to normal. Several movies and series in different genres are being made and released on other platforms, and some of them are quite successful, so why don’t such producers and directors host their works on Netflix? How much do you charge movie makers and producers to host their content on your platform?
Movie makers (citizens and residents of India) know Indians better than you seem to know. They know what their fans will love and also where where to host their movies for the best results. Netflix, unfortunately, makes it too expensive for both the movie makers and the audience, which is why Netflix has missed out on a lot of commercially successful and even some ground-breaking movies.
Here are some of the most popular movies and recent launches that were/are hosted by Amazon Prime and/or other other OTT platforms but are missing on Netflix.
Indians do love Hollywood blockbusters as well. It’s not like Indians do not watch or enjoy Hollywood movies and series; in fact, they just love some Hollywood movies much, those movies that are universally loved, say classics like The Godfather and DC/Marvel superhero movies, for example. While these movies might not be appealing to those living in remote areas and villages, to people who might not understand English, let alone Marvel and DC fiction, these movies still do attract a large number of city dwellers. But it’s a fact that these movies are available on other platforms as well!
Netflix Original series: While some of the Netflix Original series can rank as “highly popular”, say “Squid Game” and “Stranger Things”, for example, and are very well-received by the Indian audience, too, Netflix can’t rely on only these hits to make it big in the Indian market as well. Netflix needs to cater to varieties of audiences, to people belonging to different cultures and geographical areas.
Netflix is also the most expensive OTT platform in India: While two of the top-most OTT platforms in India, Hotstar and Amazon Prime, charge Rs. 1499 annually, for a good deal, Netflix India’s cheapest plan (comes with many restrictions), still costs Rs. 149 per month, hence being more expensive than either Hotstar or Amazon Prime. You must keep in mind that Amazon Prime also offers other benefits for Amazon Prime members, such as free delivery and faster delivery, whereas Netflix offers nothing more for this rate: just permission to watch on a tablet or mobile phone.
To conclude, Netflix caters to a very small percentage of the Indian OTT viewers. Even among these people, Netflix has tough competition from brands that offer more for less, so if Netflix wants to grow in India, the globally renowned brand must change its ways: the options it offers, the varieties in options, reducing the charges for movie makers, and reducing the costs for its audience. Basically, Netflix needs to do some research about the Indian market and its target audience in India, something that other FAANG companies relentlessly do, which is why Facebook, Google, and Amazon stand tall in India.
