Netflix's Rs 5 a month offer isn't as great as you think

Netflix recently ended its 'free one-month' trial offer for the new users on its platform. However, the streaming service is back with a new promotional strategy for India under which, it is offering the first month of service at just Rs 5. But there's a catch-- the plan is in the testing phase and available only to select new customers.

"This is a new marketing promotion designed to help more people discover Netflix. Depending on its success, we may roll it out more widely," a Netflix spokesperson told Gadgets360.

The Rs 5 plan started rolling out for the new customers from February 21, 2020. The existing users aren't eligible for the Rs 5 pack as it is only a promotional offer and not a monthly subscription. This offer is essentially replacing the platform's 'first-month free' offer. The promotional offer can be availed irrespective of the plan chosen by the new customer.

Netflix's promo offer

If a user is selected by Netflix for the promotional pack, he or she can avail the service at only Rs 5 for the first month of their subscription. Notably, from the next month, users will need to pay the full price for the plan they chose when signing-up for the service.

India is a competitive market and the price of Netflix subscription is too high when compared to dozens of other OTT (over the top) video streaming services in the country. To compete with the local players, Netflix rolled out a mobile-only plan exclusively for India in 2019, which starts at Rs 199 per month.

At the moment, Netflix offers four plans in India alongside the mobile-only pack. The Basic plan is priced at Rs 499, the Standard plan is priced at Rs 649, and the Premium plan is priced at Rs 799. The Basic plan provides HD video quality and supports one screen whereas the Standard plan provides Full HD quality and supports two screens.

The Premium plan offers 4K+ HDR video quality to the subscriber and comes with support for four screens-- meaning four users can watch the Netflix using the same account at the same time.