Netflix will soon produce Indian-themed shows, says Jessica lee, head of communications for Asia
The US-based on-demand streaming website Netflix arrived in the country five months ago and after facing initial hiccups, is geared up to overturn the viewing habits of Indians by acquiring recent Bollywood titles, memorable classic titles and the best of regional cinema (Tamil, Gujarati, Punjabi and Marathi), a top Netflix executive has said.
“It’s early days in India and there’s still much to learn and discover so that we can keep making the Netflix experience better. We are pleased with how consumers in India are discovering Netflix. They like the fact that we are a flat-fee unlimited viewing commercial-free experience, can cancel any time without commitments,” Jessica lee, head of communications for Asia, Netflix, told IANS in an e-mail interview.
“They can watch as much as they want, any time, anywhere on nearly any internet-connected screen. For now, we quickly see that the shows Indians love are very much similar to what we see in other markets and the top ones are Netflix Originals like Master of None, Narcos, Marvel’s Daredevil and Marvel’s Jessica Jones,” lee added.
Operating in over 190 countries, Netflix has just announced its first original series from the country based on the best-selling novel Sacred Games by Indian author Vikram Chandra.
Shot on location in India, this Hindi-English series will be produced in partnership with Phantom Films, one of India’s leading production houses and will be available to Netflix members globally upon completion.
“In 2016, we plan to spend about $5 billion on programming rights including many original and licensed titles around the world. That includes more than 30 new Netflix original series (or seasons of existing series). Most of these will be available to our members everywhere, including India, exclusively on Netflix. That’s more than one full new season of a series every other week,” lee informed.
Netflix has nearly 34 million international subscribers against 47 million in the US.
At present, video content contributes approximately 40 per cent of the total mobile data traffic in India. Various industry estimates predict a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 83 per cent for over-the-top (OTT) video content demand in the next five years in the country.
“We are expanding our original film initiative, launching more than 10 films exclusively on Netflix in 2016. We are also adding more kids programming and documentaries. Our goal is to bring Indian cinema to not only all regions of India but to the world so you'll find Indian film titles in all countries in which Netflix exists, accessible to all our over 81 million members,” noted lee.