MUMBAI: Smartphones, cheap data plans, and now the lockdown have ensured a massive appetite for entertainment. While Netflix, Amazon and Hotstar had already disrupted the comfort zones of the previous rulers of entertainment, the entry of local platforms such as Voot, Sony LIV, ALTBalaji, Zee5, and MX Player 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 languages, a requirement Amazon Prime Video seems to have fulfilled. Amazon Prime Video acquires a large number of regional films in Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam 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.

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As Netflix continues to evolve, with a new focus on acclaimed original content, it is set to maintain its market leader position for the near future. The proof of this lies in its recent venture 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, the latest deal with Viacom, which is the entertainment arm of Reliance Industries, ensures a boost in Netflix’s Indian offerings. The streaming giant also has a slew of 24 Indian originals in the pipeline such as Anushka Sharma’s Mai, Bobby Deol’s Class of 83, Alankrita Srivastava’s Bombay Begums, among other projects.

SOURCE – BINGED NEWS 

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