Netflix hopes to beam up with Airtel, Vodafone, Videocon

Netflix, US-based internet TV network, today announced strategic partnerships with three companies in India — Airtel, Videocon d2h and Vodafone — in a bid to become more easily accessible to consumers across direct-to-home and mobile platforms in the country.

“India is one of the most important and vibrant countries in the world and we are delighted to be teaming up with three of its leading companies to make it much easier for consumers to enjoy Netflix,” said Reed Hastings, Co-founder and CEO of Netflix, on his first official visit to India.

Under the agreement, Bharti Airtel will integrate the Netflix app into its direct-to-home service throughout the country. Netflix will also be integrated into the Videocon d2h set-top box so viewers can instantly access the service by clicking a dedicated Netflix button on the remote control. No specific dates were given on when these initiatives will be available although it is expected to begin in March.

Netflix was launched in India in January 2016 and is now aimed at the top tier of internet users in the country who are interested in both global and local content. Netflix India started with a slim catalogue of shows but has added both TV series and films both from Bollywood and Hollywood and foreign language films.

The company has also made available its original content such as The Crown , Stranger Things and Narcos . “In 2017, we’ll be working on making our Indian service better in every dimension,” said Hastings. “Working with some of India’s top artists, we cannot wait to bring more locally-produced series and films to our more than 93 million members households around the world.”

Coming soon on Netflix will be Marvel’s Iron Fist and new season of Orange is the New Black and House of Cards .

Later this year, members will also have exclusive access to such highly-awaited Netflix original films as War Machine , starring Brad Pitt and Sir Ben Kingsley, Okja starring Jake Gyllenhaal , Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano , Our Souls at Night from acclaimed Indian director Ritesh Batra and starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, and Bright, starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton

Shows and films available to US consumers are not all accessible in other countries, including India, because of licensing issues. Netflix competes with Amazon Prime Video that offers lower costs and more Indian content, and India-based Hotstar that has local content as well as sports, which Hastings clarified was not on the cards for Netflix.

In the mobile space, Netflix will partner with Vodafone on pre-paid programmes and will enable payment integration, allowing Vodafone customers in India to pay for their Netflix subscriptions via their monthly bill.

“We are proud to be the first mobile partner of Netflix in India and look forward to offering its rich content to further delight our millions of customers,” said Sandeep Kataria, Director Commercial, Vodafone India.

Hastings told the media that Netflix was also exploring other payment options such as with wallets but that this was in the initial stages.